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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22622248">Start Again</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jax_creation/pseuds/jax_creation'>jax_creation</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Canon-Typical Violence, Georgie Denbrough Lives, Kid Losers Club (IT), M/M, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:35:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>54,878</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22622248</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jax_creation/pseuds/jax_creation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eddie closes his eyes as his life drains out of him.<br/>He opens them 27 years earlier.<br/>Maybe this time they could manage to kill the clown before he’s forty.<br/>But why doesn't anyone believe him?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>390</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>626</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">

        <li>
          Translation into Español available: 
            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24747691">Volver a Empezar</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuro_Neko4869/pseuds/Kuro_Neko4869">Kuro_Neko4869</a>
        </li>


    </ul><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I really just wanted an excuse to write Georgie alive and interacting with the Losers.<br/>The Richie/Eddie ship is mostly just going to be puppy love in this story, since Eddie is technically an adult.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>Eddie closes his eyes and listens to the sounds of his friends finally killing the clown.</p>
<p>He opens them and hears, “Eddie-Bear, come get your lunch!”</p>
<p>Eddie inhales sharply, his breath stuttering. Normally, this would have him diving for his inhaler. But he had destroyed it in the ritual. Hadn’t he?</p>
<p>He looks around warily.</p>
<p>An unmade bed, a dresser with clothes falling from it, an end table with a lot of medicine on it, and a backpack smooshed on top of a desk.</p>
<p>He’s in his room, from when he was a kid.</p>
<p>Is this an illusion? Is It still fucking with them?</p>
<p>He rubs where the wound on his stomach should be, but he feels nothing. He looks down and does the funny little inhale again.</p>
<p>There is no wound, but his hands. <em>His body.</em></p>
<p>He darts up, legs tangling in his comforter. Stumbling, he gets to the mirror.</p>
<p>He’s... he’s a <em>kid again.</em></p>
<p>Was his entire life the illusion and now he’s snapped out of it?</p>
<p>“Eddie?”</p>
<p>He can’t look away. “Coming, mommy.” His mouth moves with the words. Not only that, but his voice fits the body.</p>
<p>He tears his eyes away and starts to head downstairs. He feels the edge of the railing on his way down. This feels real. But then again, Pennywise’s illusions always felt real.</p>
<p>“Eddie dear,” Sonia Kaspbrak stands near the kitchen, her hands on her hips. “You shouldn’t be taking naps in the middle of the day; it’ll sap your energy and then you’ll get sick.”</p>
<p>Eddie resists the urge to flinch. The illusion of his mom was something It had practice in.</p>
<p>Real or fake? Real or fake?</p>
<p>He could tell her to fuck off with the medical bullshit, but if this was reality, he might regret that later.</p>
<p>Eddie opens his mouth.</p>
<p>“Ok, mommy. I’ll remember.”</p>
<p>He never could say no to her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If this is an illusion, it's a very bland one. Boring, even.</p>
<p>He looks at the plate of plain mashed potatoes and meatloaf. Walking around, he serves himself some of the broccoli.</p>
<p>She only served him this much lunch when she wasn’t planning on making dinner. This is probably the weathers fault; the dark clouds make it seem like it is night already.</p>
<p>Rain pelts the window outside, steadily getting louder.</p>
<p>Eddie watches the water pour down the window for a moment. Then, he realizes something.</p>
<p>He sets his plate down, walking towards where his mom lies back on her recliner. But he stops.</p>
<p>How well would she respond to him asking the date?</p>
<p>It’s a semi-common thing to ask, but not for Eddie. Eddie, who has medication to take every single day.</p>
<p>He racks his brain. The calendar on the wall tells him the month, but not the day. The Kaspbrak house never bothers crossing off the days as they pass.</p>
<p>But his pill case. That can tell him the day of week, at least.</p>
<p>A gut feeling itches at him. He turns and rushes quietly upstairs.</p>
<p>He finds his fanny pack and pulls out the case, studying it's contents.</p>
<p>All the days are empty except Saturday and Sunday.</p>
<p>So, is it Saturday and he has yet to take them for the day? Or is it Friday?</p>
<p>His mom had said that he was taking a nap. Normally, he’d only take one after a long day at school. But that didn’t matter, it's raining out, the dreary weather always made him tired.</p>
<p>The rain...</p>
<p>It's starting to pick up, becoming louder against the roof. He can hear the howling wind, even through his closed windows.</p>
<p>He snaps the pill box closed.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter what day it is, does it? He can still check on the Losers. A feeling of dread starts to bubble, and the sense of something off still teases him.</p>
<p>Grabbing his jacket, he gets dressed.</p>
<p>Sonia would never let him go out in this weather. But it's only five, despite the darkness of the clouds overhead.</p>
<p>Eddie looks over to the window.</p>
<p>And he isn’t scared of sneaking out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His feet touch the grass, jacket already past soaked. His raincoat is downstairs next to Sonia and he isn't going to risk her catching him.</p>
<p>His breath fogs out in front of him as he sets off.</p>
<p>Richie, Stan, or Bill? Which loser should he go to?</p>
<p>He won’t risk going to the others, he might not have met them yet, in this time. If this <em>is</em> the past.</p>
<p>Eddie’s feet start pulling him forward automatically. There isn’t really a choice. He knows what day it is. What storm is starting.</p>
<p>He begins picking up speed. Bill’s house is five streets away.</p>
<p>Four.</p>
<p>Three.</p>
<p>Two.</p>
<p>Eddie is in a full sprint, when he rounds the corner of the last street.</p>
<p>There. A yellow raincoat, running the opposite way.</p>
<p>Eddie takes a deep breath, “Georgie!” It’s impossible to hear over the roaring rain.</p>
<p>His feet go faster. Faster than he thought was possible.</p>
<p>A track star, indeed. If his mother hadn’t been involved.</p>
<p>He takes one street to catch up to him. By the time he does, he sees the boy crouched low.</p>
<p>Georgie is talking into the gutter.</p>
<p>He’s too late.</p>
<p>Eddie’s legs give him another burst of speed, “Georgie!”</p>
<p>Georgie turns around. Eddie sees Pennywise’s arm emerge and reach forward.</p>
<p>Eddie reaches him first. There isn’t enough time to slow down, so he tackles the younger boy.</p>
<p>They go sprawling out in the water. Their heads knock against each other and Georgie lets out a cry. Eddie does not have enough time to apologize. He whips around and kicks the puddle towards the clown.</p>
<p>Pennywise flinches back from the water almost comically. Eddie has no fear to give him.</p>
<p>“Get out of here, you fucking clown.”</p>
<p>Pennywise’s gaze burns on Eddie. He slinks down and disappears.</p>
<p>That was too easy.</p>
<p>Before Eddie can relax, Mr. Gardener squawks, “The <em>language</em> on you young-in’s.”</p>
<p>All at once, Eddie is hit with a fit of giggles. No one used ‘young-ins’ in the future. This is what finalizes his decision. Pennywise had uncertainty in his eyes; he is definitely in the past.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There was a clown!” Georgie insists, frustrated tears beginning to fall.</p>
<p>The police look at each other, disbelieving. They are already being brushed off as stupid kids with bad imaginations.</p>
<p>“It was a guy. He was trying to lure Georgie away.” That, at least, sounds more believable. “Georgie, tell them what he said to you.”</p>
<p>Georgie’s mouth gapes at Eddie, before he straightens his spine and addresses the policeman, “He was saying how there was popcorn and a circus! I just had to follow him. He wouldn’t give me my boat back.” He pouts at this.</p>
<p>The cop’s eyebrows raise. They give each other a look.</p>
<p><em>Come on</em>. This is typical stranger danger. And, paired with the other missing kids, this is a <em>case</em>.</p>
<p>A hint of doubt shines through the cop’s eyes. Too good to be true.</p>
<p>Pennywise’s influence.</p>
<p>Before they come to a decision, Georgie’s parents arrive. Behind them, Bill.</p>
<p>“Billy!” Georgie looks overwhelmed. Then he begins to cry for real. Bill rushes over and hugs him, he gives Eddie a small, questioning look.</p>
<p>Eddie is too busy to give one back. Their parents are <em>determined</em> to get to the bottom of this and <em>of course their little Georgie wouldn’t lie about a clown for Christ’s sake. Who do you take them for? Neglectful parents?</em></p>
<p>Eddie watches them handle it and begins to zone out.</p>
<p>He's stopped It from killing Georgie. Now what?</p>
<p>There has to be a more efficient way to kill It off this time around. Can they go through the ritual as kids? Would the artifacts change, since there is no meaning behind some of them?</p>
<p>Eddie glances at the shaking Georgie. How many more people can he save from It?</p>
<p>All the Losers had experienced It hunting them before they confessed. Well, except for Richie. Should he try to intervene, or just let them meet It before he steps in?</p>
<p>Eddie swallows. Should he tell them about his jump back in time?</p>
<p>His damp shoes squelch as he gets up. The police spare him a glance, but nothing else.</p>
<p>He walks over so that he’s closer to Georgie and Bill. Georgie keeps his face buried in Bill’s collar, but Bill looks up.</p>
<p>“Th-thanks Eddie,” Bill pats at Georgie’s back, indicating what he’s thankful for.</p>
<p>Eddie nods and sits beside them.</p>
<p>“Wh-what were you doing out in the storm?” Between Georgie’s small sobs and Bill’s shivering, the stutter comes out almost naturally. Eddie remembers that his stutter had gotten worse when Georgie went missing. He's prevented that, at least.</p>
<p>He sucks in a breath, “Just getting away from my mom, the usual.” He decides not to confess until he can get all the Losers together.</p>
<p>Georgie lifts his head, pouting now, “It was so scary, Billy. He wouldn’t give me my boat back.”</p>
<p>Bill smiles at him, “That’s okay. We can make another one and I’ll go with you next time we sail her.” Bill’s eyes are pained, already regretting not going with him the first time.</p>
<p>Now that the adrenaline is wearing off, looking at Bill talking to Georgie is almost overwhelming. Eddie braces himself so he doesn’t start crying in the middle of the office.</p>
<p>“A clown?” Bill mutters to himself as Georgie begins explaining.</p>
<p>Eddie tries to gauge the disbelief in his tone but finds that he can’t find any. Even if there was any, he’s masking it, for Georgie’s sake.</p>
<p>After another long talk, the Denbrough’s finally get what they argued for: an incident report and an apology. They pull back and Bill’s mom asks Eddie if he would like a ride home or if he’s waiting for Sonia.</p>
<p>Eddie had refused to let anyone calls his mom, which broke protocol, he’s sure. But Derry was never known for its outstanding police department.</p>
<p>“A ride would be great, thanks.” Eddie says, and then wonders if he had been too polite. He remembers, suddenly, that at this age he was a little bit of a hyper asshole.</p>
<p>Everyone gathers themselves and heads to the car. Eddie sits awkwardly in the backseat and listens to the Denbrough’s coach Georgie about stranger-danger until they drop him off at his house.</p>
<p>He waves goodbye to the car, storm coming down hard still. He spares a glance at the lattice he could use to sneak back in but continues to the door. His shoes did not have enough grip to climb back up.</p>
<p>He reaches the door and takes a moment to pray that Sonia is in her room already before opening it.</p>
<p>He enters quietly, the tv is the only source of light. Sonia is slumped on her chair, asleep.</p>
<p>Eddie pulls off his shoes and makes his way silently upstairs.</p>
<p>He starts a hot shower, hoping to come out of the storm without even a sniffle, so that Sonia wouldn’t lock him away.</p>
<p>He knows that he’s not imagining the talking in the pipes as he showers, but he’s determined not to be bothered. Pennywise could hunt all he wanted; Eddie would not give him the satisfaction of fear.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm writing this as a side story to take a break from my other ones, so I don't know when I'll be updating, but I do have most of the plot points down, so I won't abandon it until it's done.<br/>As always, comments and kudos are a strong motivator for me to post faster.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for the warm reception!<br/>I wrote this faster than I thought I would, so here's an update.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie’s eyes snap open two minutes before Sonia would throw open his door and try to wake him up.</p>
<p>Hazy with sleep, it takes him a moment to realize that he is, in fact, still a kid.</p>
<p>Eddie sits up slowly and huffs. Was saving Georgie not enough, then?</p>
<p>Is he ever going to go back?</p>
<p>Eddie takes a minute to think about it. Would he be upset if he stayed in the past?</p>
<p>Instinctively, the answer is yes. He had worked so hard and for so long to get where he was as an adult.</p>
<p>But he wasn’t anywhere special in life, was he?</p>
<p>Now he has the chance to grow up again. To not get stuck under Sonia’s thumb and then to not get stuck with... Myra. And, if Pennywise isn’t around while he’s growing up, he’ll be able to remember the Losers and keep in touch with them. He won’t ever be alone.</p>
<p>He ponders this for a minute more, then he mom bursts into the room. She peers around quickly as if trying to catch him in the act of chucking his medicine out the window.</p>
<p>Speaking of his medicine...</p>
<p>“Oh, Eddie, you’re awake!” Sonia rests her weight onto one leg, cocking out her hip, “I’ve put in an order for your prescription. It should be ready today. You don’t mind picking it up, do you?”</p>
<p>Eddie wonders if he’s destined to just live a lie, “Yeah, ma, I’ll pick it up.”</p>
<p>She looks pleased, “Good, we wouldn’t want you to run out of it. You’ll get the flu.”</p>
<p>Eddie remembers getting the flu in college. His body wasn’t used to being so sick; he’d thought he was dying. The flu scares him, but he knows that it would have been easier, had his immune system been used to it.</p>
<p>“There’s some breakfast ready downstairs for you. Come down once you’re dressed.”</p>
<p>He listens to his mom tread back downstairs. Standing slowly, he snatches his pill case, making it rattle with the sound of too many pills.</p>
<p>Then he makes his way to the bathroom and flushes the day’s pills down the toilet.</p>
<p>He considers flushing tomorrow’s right then, or even the rest, but he’s paranoid that his mom will check on them. She snoops a lot, at least where his medication is concerned.</p>
<p>Eddie goes back to his room and changes quickly. As a last step, he grabs his fanny pack hanging on the wall and hooks it on.</p>
<p>He pats it with satisfaction. They should have never fallen out of style.</p>
<p>Eddie makes sure to eat quickly, not wanting to spend too much time with his mom. There is only so many times he can mumble “uh-huh” to her before she accuses him of not listening.</p>
<p>She does the dishes immediately after he eats, so he goes back upstairs to wash his hands.</p>
<p>As he’s drying them, he hears the toilet gurgle next to him.</p>
<p>Looking over, he sees his colorful pills come back up the drain, spinning in a circle like a Ferris wheel.</p>
<p>“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Eddie whispers over the familiar cackling of the clown.</p>
<p>Bracing himself, he snatches them out of the toilet and wraps them in a hand towel. He’d have to throw them out later, not down any of the drains.</p>
<p>He washes his hands again.</p>
<p>This is such a pain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Instead of heading towards the pharmacy, he makes a detour.</p>
<p>He’d still need to pick up the prescription, lest Sonia find out about it and give him hell. But he has the urge to tell <em>someone</em> about last night.</p>
<p>He considers going to Bill’s, but only briefly.</p>
<p>He’d seen Bill already and, normally, he’d be great for a steady opinion of what he should do. But Eddie didn’t want advice. He’s actually just looking to freak out at someone and have them freak out with him in solidarity.</p>
<p>So, he takes the path that would lead him straight to Richie.</p>
<p>Plus, if he’s being honest, he really wants to see how lanky Richie is now that they’re kids again. His memory of him is clouded by his younger self, who always thought Richie was the coolest and funniest person ever. Which, at the time, he was. Probably still is. Eddie never could quite get rid of his rose-colored glasses.</p>
<p>He reaches the house, knocking for a bit before Richie’s mom lets him. She waves towards Richie’s bedroom door and warns him that that he’d have to wake Richie up if he wanted to hang out. She says this like it’s the most daunting task ever.</p>
<p>Eddie understands.</p>
<p>At Richie’s bedroom door, he makes sure to pound extra loud on it.</p>
<p>He waits patiently after hearing a groan, then a thud of him falling off the bed, another groan, and finally the door swings open. Richie stands there in boxers with his eyes squinted shut.</p>
<p>Richie isn’t a morning person on a good day. He definitely isn’t a <em>Saturday</em> morning person.</p>
<p>“Itsmmayoff,” Richie mumbles, his hair sticking up more than usual.</p>
<p>Eddie nods in understanding, waiting for him to wake up a little.</p>
<p>“What is it?” His eyes stay half-closed, trying to hold onto his dream.</p>
<p>Eddie steps around him and grabs his glasses. He shoves them onto Richie’s face.</p>
<p>Richie sighs and finally opens his eyes, “This better be good, dipshit.”</p>
<p>“It is,” Eddie says determinedly, but then he doesn’t know where to start. “Well, um, last night there was this thing.”</p>
<p>“Oh, a <em>thing</em>, was there?” Richie says mockingly, grabbing his pants to put on.</p>
<p>“It’s– it was... it’s a long story,” Eddie finally gets out.</p>
<p>Richie searches his face, then he pulls the last leg of his pants on and sits down on the bed. He rubs at his face, pushing his glasses up awkwardly. “Well, I’ve got all day. Go ahead.”</p>
<p>Eddie hesitates.</p>
<p>Richie was the one who didn’t believe them in the first place, last time.</p>
<p>“Maybe... maybe you should call the others. Bill, at least, can kind of back my story.”</p>
<p>Richie squints at him, “You were doing something last night with <em>Bill</em>?”</p>
<p>Eddie waves his hands, “Kind of. Do you want to know or not?”</p>
<p>“I mean, jeez, I guess. Keep me in suspense.” Richie throws a shirt on then walks out of the room, calling, “I’ll be back.”</p>
<p>Eddie waits and soon Richie comes back with a phone and shoves it at him.</p>
<p>He looks down at the chunky thing with dismay. At least it’s cordless.</p>
<p>Eddie holds the phone up. Damn. He could <em>almost</em> remember their numbers.</p>
<p>“Here, you call,” he shoves the phone into Richie’s chest.</p>
<p>Richie puts up no protest and calls Bill first, opening with an annoying rooster call when he realizes that he had just woke Bill up.</p>
<p>Richie himself is fully awake, now. He went from tired, to normal, to I’ve-had-too-much-caffeine all in the span of ten minutes.</p>
<p>“It an e-<em>mer</em>-gency Billy boy! Hurry, hurry and take Silver over here.”</p>
<p>Richie looks over and sees Eddie watching, so he gives him a grin while still talking, “Do I look like your mom? I don’t care how you get here, just run or something.”</p>
<p>The call with Stan is a little tamer, considering his mom stays on the phone for most of it.</p>
<p>“Yes, Mrs. Uris. Can you tell him as soon as possible? It’s important.” Richie listens for a moment, “Thank you, bye.”</p>
<p>Richie throws the phone down. “There, I did all the work. They should be over soon.” He sits next to Eddie, “Could I get just a tiny hint?”</p>
<p>Eddie looks at him, then thinks <em>what the hell.</em></p>
<p>“I’m being stalked by a clown.” He scowls at the thought.</p>
<p>Richie keeps a faint smile on his lips, waiting for the joke. When all Eddie does is watch him seriously, the smile fades into nothing.</p>
<p>“That’s...”</p>
<p>“It’s crazy, I know.” Eddie spits out.</p>
<p>“Like Ronald? Big poofy red hair?” He holds his hands out to indicate where the hair would be.</p>
<p>“It tried to take Georgie, too. Last night.” Eddie says more desperately than he’d meant to.</p>
<p>“<em>Take</em>? I thought you said stalk!” Richie stands up, “What happened?”</p>
<p><em>It tried to murder</em> <em>Georgie</em> would probably be more accurate to what had happened. Or, <em>It was going to eat him</em>. But Eddie isn’t bringing out the big guns just yet.</p>
<p>Eddie tries to give him the story as briefly as possible. Evil clown, sewer, Georgie’s boat, and It trying to lure him away.</p>
<p>Richie stares at him incredulously, “And it wasn’t a nightmare?”</p>
<p>“No, I didn’t get much sleep.”</p>
<p>“I can tell,” Richie reaches forward and presses his thumb against the bags under his eyes. He rubs his thumb back and forth, “You’re less cute without sleep.”</p>
<p>Eddie blinks at him.</p>
<p>
  <em>Had he just...?</em>
</p>
<p>Richie’s grin turns bashful and he looks away, dropping his hands.</p>
<p>
  <em>He had!</em>
</p>
<p>Eddie’s lips part, but he doesn’t say anything.</p>
<p>A shuffling noise and voices in the living room start up. Stan and Bill are here.</p>
<p>Richie walks out of his room to greet them with a loud, “What’s the brat doing here?”</p>
<p>Correction: Stan, Bill, and Georgie are here.</p>
<p>Georgie complains loudly about being called the brat and Richie just grins and gives him a noogie while pulling him inside the room.</p>
<p>Bill follows them with laughter and then Stan walks in.</p>
<p>Stan.</p>
<p>Eddie had forgotten.</p>
<p>He stands up quickly and hugs him without thinking.</p>
<p>Stan only takes two seconds to bring his arms up and hug him back.</p>
<p>Eddie isn’t sure, but he thinks they weren’t very affectionate with each other before Pennywise happened. This might be weird.</p>
<p>Or maybe not. When he lets go, the only person who’s paying attention to them is Richie. Bill and Georgie are talking to him, but he’s not listening.</p>
<p>When he catches his eye, Richie looks away and makes a joke. Eddie looks back to Stan, who’s crooking a brow at Richie, then he stops when he notices Eddie looking.</p>
<p>Oh. That was a secret look. They’re keeping something from him.</p>
<p>Eddie is <em>so</em> not going to acknowledge this right now.</p>
<p>They all settle down eventually, and Eddie slumps down onto the bed, thinking.</p>
<p>How much is he going to tell them?</p>
<p>Better question, how much will they <em>believe</em>?</p>
<p>Eddie pulls his head up. Stan and Bill sit across from him, identical expressions of seriousness on their face. Georgie sits on the floor and side-eyes them. Then, a jab to the side of Eddie’s head makes him look at Richie, who’s pursing his lips.</p>
<p>“Out with it. You’ve got an audience now.”</p>
<p>Eddie takes a breath. He’s at a loss and these <em>are</em> his best friends. He can trust them with anything.</p>
<p>“Is t-this about last night?” Bill speaks up.</p>
<p>Stan looks between them, “About the stalker?”</p>
<p>“Hey, was everyone there but me?” Richie exclaims.</p>
<p>Stan holds his chin up, “They told me on the way over. Why? Was there something else?”</p>
<p>They all look to Eddie. Feeling the pressure, he sits up straight.</p>
<p>“This isn’t the first time I’ve seen the clown.” Eddie blurts.</p>
<p>Alarm steals over their expressions.</p>
<p>Bill speaks first. “Have y-you told your mom?”</p>
<p>“What, and have him shipped off to Canada?” Richie butts in.</p>
<p>“Canada is better than the morgue.” Stanley says in a surprisingly calm manner. He crosses his arms, frowning.</p>
<p>Eddie stands up, the pain in his center more of a memory than an actual thing.</p>
<p>Georgie sniffles, “It was scary.”</p>
<p>“It <em>was</em>.” Eddie has a second where he forgot to inhale, so the words come out raspier than he thought they would.</p>
<p>Richie reaches for his fanny pack and pulls him a little closer. Eddie sees out of the corner of his eye Richie mouthing, “Asthma?”</p>
<p>“No, I’m good.” Eddie reaches up to bat his hands away, but kind of stops and just rests them on his, making sure he doesn’t pull the zipper.</p>
<p>Richie assesses his expression silently.</p>
<p>“So, w-what are we gonna d-do?” Bill asks, determined.</p>
<p>Eddie looks over to them sheepishly and wonders if he could just suggest what he’s thinking.</p>
<p>
  <em>Help me murder It?</em>
</p>
<p>Shit. This was hard when they didn’t know the whole situation. How can he break it to them gently?</p>
<p>“It didn’t seem– human.”</p>
<p>Well, blurting it all out had worked so far.</p>
<p>Upon seeing their expressions, he tries again, “It’s mouth was too big. You saw, didn’t you Georgie?”</p>
<p>Eddie doesn’t think he’s ever seen Bill at a loss for words.</p>
<p>Bill looks to Georgie, who’s not acknowledging him. Georgie doesn’t seem to want to tell Bill anything that he wouldn’t want to hear.</p>
<p>This isn’t working.</p>
<p>“Special effects?” Richie lets go of the fanny pack and steps back, gesturing to his face, “Makeup?”</p>
<p>“No,” Eddie says carefully, “I don’t think so.”</p>
<p>“So, you were seeing things,” Richie says flatly.</p>
<p>“Richie!” Stan hisses.</p>
<p>“What? It’s all a little...” Richie started to hum the twilight zone theme music.</p>
<p>Stan socks him in the side.</p>
<p>Everyone ignores Richie’s over-dramatic whining of pain and how he couldn’t feel his side anymore.</p>
<p>Stan thinks for a moment before speaking, “Maybe it was just your fear. It was awfully dark yesterday, wasn’t it?”</p>
<p>Richie mutters, “That’s what I said.” But is ignored once again.</p>
<p>“You’re friends with Richie.” Bill grins tentatively, “You were b-bound to lose it eventually.”</p>
<p>Oh god, this is worse than them not believing him. They think he’s nuts.</p>
<p>He looks to Georgie for help, but the kid just nods along to Bill’s words. Pushover.</p>
<p>Eddie bites his lip.</p>
<p>Maybe he’d <em>already</em> died, and this was hell. At least the clown had prepared him for it.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, comments/kudos are a strong motivator for me to write and upload faster!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I love reading all the freaking out in the comments about how drastically Eddie has changed the story just by saving Georgie.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie doesn’t know what he did in his past life to deserve this.</p><p>“He was in the sewer drain right? Let’s smoke him out. My dad’s got fireworks from July he’s been saving,” Richie says proudly.</p><p>“That won’t work,” Stan says, “We don’t know which drain he’d be in.”</p><p>Actually, Eddie knows <em>exactly</em> what he did in his past life. Still, nothing bad enough to deserve this.</p><p>“M-my dad has a map. Of the drain systems.” Bill suggests.</p><p>Stanley looks at him, thinking. “That would tell us where the openings were,” he says slowly. “There can’t be that many places where full grown men can fit.”</p><p>“You mean we’re <em>hunting</em> It?” Georgie asks in an incredulous tone.</p><p>Finally, someone who’s making sense.</p><p>Bill starts to say, “Not you, Georgie” but Eddie cuts him off.</p><p>“You’re planning on going into the sewers and throwing firecrackers at It?”</p><p>Richie answers in a defensive tone, “He tried to take Georgie and is stalking you, what else are we supposed to do?”</p><p>Eddie has to wonder how they survived so long when they were younger.</p><p>But his answer comes from Stan’s clenched jaw and Bill’s fierce eyes and Richie’s determined expression. They weren’t afraid. They were angry that something had attacked one of their own.</p><p>Eddie feels fondness overtake him. They were all so stupid. Running into something they weren’t prepared for.</p><p>He loves them all.</p><p>He can’t let them face It.</p><p>“The police are handling it, aren’t they? Maybe we shouldn’t go looking for the monster in the sewer drain.”</p><p>Stan studies him and Eddie makes sure to keep his face blank. “It would be safer, that way,” Stan finally agrees.</p><p>“It would be safer if the shit was lit on fire, too,” Richie mopes.</p><p>“W-we can still light some of the fireworks, Richie,” Bill mock-whispers to him.</p><p>Georgie giggles at that and the tension in the room goes down.</p><p><em>I can handle this</em>, Eddie thinks between chuckles.</p><p>What did they do to defeat It? Call the thing a bunch of names? He could do that. Easy-peasy.</p><p>“Let’s go light them off then.” Richie begin marching out the door, about to leave.</p><p>Stan stops him by grabbing the back of his shirt, “It would look better at night.”</p><p>Richie stops. “I guess.”</p><p>Eddie probably had to perform the ritual first, though. How did Mike find it again?</p><p>“Did you finish the history homework, yet?”</p><p>Oh. Homework. School. He’d have to switch gears. This shouldn’t be too bad.</p><p>Bill makes a face, “Bower’s threw away m-my copy.”</p><p>Eddie puts his hand to his face in horror.</p><p>He’d forgotten about Bowers.</p><p> </p><p>Eddie heads to the pharmacy, gloomy.</p><p>Would it be that hard to claim self-defense and kill Bowers now?</p><p>Yes. Yes, it would. Especially with his dad being a cop.</p><p>Eddie pouts at the sidewalk.</p><p>“What has you in a mood?” Richie asks.</p><p>Richie had insisted on walking with him. He claimed that it was too dangerous for them to travel alone anywhere. Which made absolute sense. It was just strange that Richie was the one to suggest it.</p><p>Eddie spares him a glance, “I’m fine.”</p><p>Richie pokes his cheek and sings the word, “Liaaar.”</p><p>Eddie doesn’t reply.</p><p>“Is it because of the clown?”</p><p>Eddie looks at him without turning his head.</p><p>Richie catches his eye, “I know you’re freaking out. I am too. It just doesn’t sound real, y’know?”</p><p>“What doesn’t sound real? The stalker or the fact that I don’t think It’s human?”</p><p>Richie backtracks after Eddie’s defensive tone. “Erm, I just meant the situation in general.”</p><p>After another long pause, Richie continues, “You know how it sounds, right? The monster is supposed to stay in your closet when you’re like five.”</p><p>Eddie grits his teeth, “I <em>know</em> that. I just wish you’d take me a little more seriously and believe me about being more cautious and not facing the damn thing–”</p><p>“I believe you,” Richie says, face oddly serious for him. “I mean, I believe that you believe it. Does that make sense?”</p><p>Eddie finally looks at him straight on. “Yeah. It does,” he says softly.</p><p>Richie hums, “I know you. I know when you’re telling the truth. So, you’re either fucking insane, or this guy isn’t human. I know which one I want to believe.”</p><p>Richie was a lot more logical than Eddie could remember him being at this age. Actually, at <em>any</em> age.</p><p>“Just stay away from the sewers, okay? And don’t talk to anyone in the shower drains.”</p><p>“Wait, you’re hearing people in the <em>drain</em>?”</p><p>They arrive at the pharmacy and Eddie chooses to go inside instead of answering.</p><p>He half expects to run into Beverly while he’s in here, but he doesn’t. He wonders if he should plan some way to bump into her and get that friendship train rolling. Ben and Mike, too.</p><p>Eddie reaches the counter.</p><p>“I’m here for a pickup? It’s under Edward Kaspbrak.”</p><p>He watches the pharmacist gather the items and wonders how much of the pills he’s counting are just sugar. How much of his terrible childhood was this man’s fault?</p><p>Eddie grabs the bag and doesn’t spare the man another glance. As far as monsters go, he’s met far worse.</p><p>He listens to the chime of the bell as he exits the shop. He looks around for Richie.</p><p>He’s gone.</p><p>“Please tell me you didn’t get lured away by Pennywise in plain goddamn daylight,” Eddie mutters as he goes down the alley next to the place. A rush of adrenaline fills him and, despite his words, a spike of real fear for Richie envelopes him.</p><p>Which would be his second mistake.</p><p>A croak from behind him, “Eddie.”</p><p>His first would be going down an alley alone where no one could hear him scream.</p><p>He whirls around to face the thing, hands coming up instinctively into fists.</p><p>He lowers his hands, “Goddamnit, Richie, don’t do your voices with me.”</p><p>Richie looked pale, dark circles showing up under his eyes. He brings his hands up to his throat.</p><p>Eddie steps forward, “You okay?” Did he have an encounter with It already?</p><p>Eddie puts his hands on Richie’s shoulders, rubbing them.</p><p>His third mistake.</p><p>Richie lets out a cough, then looks at Eddie with a smirk that’s unfamiliar.</p><p>Eddie yanks his hands away right as the black drool falls from his mouth.</p><p>It splashes on his legs and burns. Eddie hisses and jerks away, feet moving on their own.</p><p>He turns and takes off down the alley.</p><p>His fourth mistake happens suddenly. His foot gets caught on some abandoned cardboard that was stacked up and he goes down skidding. His ankle twists sharply.</p><p>He hisses in pain and disgust. Dirty-ass alley floor juice is on his hands now.</p><p>He pulls himself up, chanting in his head, “I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid.”</p><p>But it wasn’t helping.</p><p>It was a good idea to not be afraid in theory, but a whole different experience when It was <em>right behind him</em>. He also wasn’t expecting It to wear someone’s face.</p><p>The croaking is impossibly close, so he doesn’t hesitate and starts running again.</p><p>His ankle burns but the adrenaline allows him to exit the alley and into civilization.</p><p>Panting, he looks behind him.</p><p>There was nothing.</p><p>He hated being toyed with.</p><p>His ankle throbs again and he limps over to lean against the wall.</p><p>“Eddie!?” A call from down the alley, same voice but different tone.</p><p>Eddie clenches his fists. Damn it. He will not flinch away from the real thing. This trick will not work.</p><p>He clears his throat, “Over here, Rich.”</p><p>Richie walks quickly up to him, “What happened?”</p><p>Eddie doesn’t immediately look at his face. At first, it’s from the instinct that this could still be a trick. But then he gets distracted by the ice-cream in Richie’s hands and stares at them while he speaks, “I saw the clown again.”</p><p>“The clown?” Richie’s hands tense and he seems to notice the ice-cream again, he holds one out to Eddie and Eddie takes it with a small “Thanks.”</p><p>“Where is he?”</p><p>Eddie looks at him as he darts his head around, searching. He looks pissed on behalf of Eddie.</p><p>Eddie wonders if he should correct Richie. It was an It, not a he. Would never be a he no matter how many faces it wore.</p><p>Eddie is suddenly very tired. “I ran away. It must have taken off when it heard you coming.”</p><p>Richie swings his head back around, “Should... should we call the cops?”</p><p>Eddie sighs, “No, Richie. I don’t think they’ll do anything. Eat your ice-cream.”</p><p>Richie puts the ice-cream up to his mouth obediently. “I was trying to make you feel better,” Richie murmurs around the treat, almost hiding behind it, “Sorry for leaving you alone.”</p><p>Eddie bites into the cone, “It’s okay. It’s delicious.”</p><p>“You’re bleeding.”</p><p>Eddie looks at his skinned hands, feels the burn on his legs, “So I am.” He tests out his weight on his ankle and winces.</p><p>Richie looks distraught, “Finish your ice-cream. I’ll carry you back.”</p><p>“You can’t handle my weight.”</p><p>Richie cheeks puff out, “Of course I can!”</p><p>He couldn’t by a long shot. But he does let Eddie use him as a crutch the whole way to the clearing, where the others are.</p><p>Richie fusses on the way there about what they could do about his cuts and ankle before Sonia finds out.</p><p>Eddie is past worrying about her. He thinks about his encounter with It instead.</p><p>Last time, all the Losers got a visit from Pennywise individually. Then they stuck together and hunted it down.</p><p>Did that mean that that was the only time Eddie was going to have to deal with It alone? Should he wait for the others to get hunted? Could he even prevent them from meeting It in the first place?</p><p>They were already aware of the clown, that should be an advantage on their part, at least. Eddie couldn’t realistically be around all of them all the time.</p><p>Eddie bites his lip and clenches his hands in Richie’s shirt.</p><p>But what if they die on the first encounter, like Georgie had?</p><p>They arrive at the clearing, walking slowly over to where the others sit. Immediately Richie says, “The partner thing is now enforced.”</p><p>They look up in surprise. Bill scrambles to his feet to help lower Eddie to a seated position.</p><p>“What happened!?”</p><p>“I saw the clown again. It chased me down the alley.”</p><p>Before they ask him to explain, Richie cuts in, “I call being partnered with Eddie.”</p><p>Stan blinks at him, “It would make more sense for me to be partnered with him. I live closer.”</p><p>Richie looks like he wasn’t expecting a protest, “But I–”</p><p>Stan continues, “You should probably partner with Bill. His mom can pick you up on the way to school.”</p><p>Bill jumps in, “I d-don’t need a partner, I have Georgie.”</p><p>He pats Georgie on the head, who looks pleased at the attention.</p><p>Richie looks at him doubtfully, “But does Georgie even count as a person? He’s barely half the size of one.”</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>They all go back and forth until Eddie cuts in, “We don’t need to partner up with only one person, it should be fine as long as none of us are alone.”</p><p>They all agree to that.</p><p>Richie nods, “Fine. I call picking Eddie up for school on Monday!”</p><p>Stan rolls his eyes, “You’re going to walk past the school to go get Eddie?”</p><p>Eddie smiles down at the ground. Richie’s really trying to make up for abandoning him for ice-cream.</p><p>“Of course not! I’ll bike. He can ride on the pegs.”</p><p>Eddie shakes his head, “I have my own bike, Richie.”</p><p>This doesn’t deter him. “Then we’ll ride together.” Richie nods in satisfaction.</p><p>Bill looks between all of them, “I’ll swing by your h-house, Stan.”</p><p>Stan kicks at the dirt, “Good. I was feeling left out.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For those wondering where the remaining Losers are, Eddie will try and pull some strings eventually.<br/>Will it work out?<br/>With how things are going so far, probably not.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Not a lot happens in this chapter.<br/>Just some bonding between friends.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Stay still, I’ve seen this work before.”</p><p>“Richie, I really don’t think seeing something in a movie is the same–“</p><p>“Shh! I’m concentrating.”</p><p>Eddie sighs, letting him fiddle with a long stick, trying to attach it to his leg.</p><p>“In the movies,” Richie continues to explain while tying some floss around Eddie’s calf, “Whenever someone breaks their leg, they have to keep the bone straight with a stick.”</p><p>Georgie stands on his toes, trying to peer over Richie’s shoulder. “It’s not broken, is it?”</p><p>“What part of medical examination did you not understand?” Richie looks over his shoulder, not moving his hands, “Privacy. I need to concentrate.”</p><p>Eddie wasn’t sure how long he was going to humor Richie. At least he wasn’t jarring his ankle too much.</p><p>Georgie pulls himself up higher using Richie’s shoulders, “I thought you have to fix the bone first.”</p><p>Richie tries to shrug him off, but Georgie clings harder. “What do you mean fix?”</p><p>“You know...” Georgie mimes something that no one really understands. He looks over at Bill for help.</p><p>“Like setting the bone?” Bill calls out from behind them.</p><p>Richie’s eyes light up in interest.</p><p>That was enough.</p><p>Eddie jerks his leg away, the floss snapping easily under the force.</p><p>Richie looks at the pieces in dismay, “Aww. Do you have anymore?”</p><p>“Fuck no.”</p><p>“Alright!” Richie claps, “Georgie, new plan. Start weaving together some grass.”</p><p>Eager to please, Georgie crouches down and grabs clumps of grass, pulling them up and shaking the dirt off the roots.</p><p>Eddie nudges Richie with his good foot, “Don’t use Georgie as your errand boy.”</p><p>Georgie puffs out his chest, “I’ll find some long pieces!”</p><p>Stan sighs and calls out, “Don’t bother. All the grass is wet from the storm.”</p><p>“Yeah Georgie, don’t get y-yourself too muddy.” Bill grabs his brother’s hands and shakes them, trying to dislodge the dirt.</p><p>“Here, I’ve got some wipes.” Eddie unzips his fanny pack.</p><p>He takes out the pack of wipes quickly, his medicine bottles falling to the ground. Ignoring them, he pulls out a wipe and holds it out for Bill.</p><p>Bill just stares at him.</p><p>“What?” Eddie thought that he was going to comment on the fanny pack being stuffed, but Bill shakes his head and takes the wipe.</p><p>At the sound of shuffling to his right, he looks over to see Stan crouched down, picking up the pill bottles. Stan holds them out to him wordlessly.</p><p>“Thank you,” Eddie takes them and wonders why everyone was being weird.</p><p>“Why is everyone being weird?” Georgie asks while wiping away the dirt.</p><p>Bill must give him some kind of look that Eddie can’t see from behind him, because Georgie nods his head and pretends like he didn’t ask a question in the first place.</p><p>Eddie looks to Richie, trying to find some sort of normal reaction. Richie takes in his confused look and gives him a smile, “We were just waiting on the freak-out. You can’t blame them, just last week you were talking about dirty lunch trays and how everyone should be required to bring their own.”</p><p>Eddie takes a breath. Last week. Last week they’d remember the momma’s boy, afraid of anything and everything.</p><p>He wasn’t the same as back then. He didn’t ever want to be that way again.</p><p>But the last week Eddie could remember, as an adult, he’d been packing a whole bag full of medication. He hadn’t changed that much. Although, he did throw out the three extra bottles of Tylenol.</p><p>But that was an Eddie who didn’t remember his fight with Pennywise as a kid, nor his defiance against his mother. That Eddie married Myra and was fine with it, since she kept him in check.</p><p>The Eddie he was now was the complete one. No missing memories. No placebos. No bullshit. A couple of lies here and there.</p><p>Eddie suddenly realizes that he’s never told them about what his mother did to him his whole life. Why he turned out the way he did. Maybe, if he had told them, there wouldn’t have been such a load on his shoulders for so long.</p><p>Pressing his lips together, he squeezes the bottles tightly. “They’re fake.”</p><p>“What is?” In hearing his tone, Stan sits next to him and Richie walks over. Bill and Georgie also shuffle closer.</p><p>“The pills. They’re sugar. Placebos.”</p><p>Stan rests his hand on Eddie’s back while Georgie mouths the word, unsure. Even when they didn’t get it, they still understood what was being said.</p><p>Richie crouches low, “How do you know?”</p><p>Bitter, Eddie spits out, “The pharmacist’s daughter told me.”</p><p>“Greta? But she’s a bitch. She must have been lying.”</p><p>Eddie meets his gaze straight on, “She wasn’t.”</p><p>Georgie looks confused, brow furrowed, “But why? Why are they fake?”</p><p>And that question, despite how long Eddie’s known about the pills, he never really considered before. What was the answer? That his mom was sick in the head?</p><p>“It was to... keep me in line, I guess. Make it so I would never abandon her. My mom.”</p><p>Bill looks like he’s about to suggest that they take him away from her, but they wouldn’t be able to accomplish that alone. And Derry had absolutely no track record of adults they could trust.</p><p>Eddie would have rejected the idea, anyway. He didn’t want to be shipped away to his aunt on his father’s side, nor did he want to end up in foster care. He had too much to do in Derry, and there was too much to lose if he left his friends alone here.</p><p>Richie wrinkles his nose, “Well, that’s stupid. Let’s burn the bottles with the fireworks.”</p><p>Eddie pull them away before Richie could snatch them, “No, I need these.”</p><p>At their sad look, he explains, “I have the upper hand, now. She’s still my guardian, still has control over me. I’m just playing along until I can get out of there.”</p><p>They all fall silent, brooding. Eddie feels Stan take a breath next to him, “I feel the same way, with my dad.” He doesn’t look at anyone, “Not– not as bad as you, Eddie. But I also feel like I’m biding my time until I get out of there.”</p><p>And Eddie, he had never known that. Not really, no matter how much he suspected it. The Losers had never really talked about their family, but deep down, Eddie knew something was off when he was only allowed to visit Richie and Ben’s house, how no one else saw their place as a safe spot to hang out.</p><p>Eddie is almost waiting for Mike or Bev to pipe in, but then he remembers that they weren’t with them yet.</p><p>He looks to Bill, who’s frowning in concern, holding Georgie close to him. Bill’s house had been a hangout up until Georgie had died, then their visits slowly faded until they never went back. His parents had become distant.</p><p>Eddie is so, so glad that he came back.</p><p>Bill pats Stan and Eddie on the shoulders. “D-did you bring the fireworks, Rich? Let’s light them, then. The s-sun’s going down.”</p><p>Richie stands up from a crouch. “Of course! My bag is on Georgie’s back.”</p><p>Stan sniffs, “You’re such a bully.”</p><p>They break the tension by loudly throwing insults back and forth, until Richie finally pulls out a pack of matches, “Let the show begin, then!”</p><p>Eddie and Stan speak at the same time, “We’re not lighting them in the field.”</p><p>“Aww, but Eddie can’t walk too good. Right, Eds?”</p><p>Just to prove him wrong, Eddie struggles to his feet. Immediately, all the Loser’s hands are on him, helping him up.</p><p>He smiles. He had missed this, growing up. Despite not remembering any of them, he had never found as close a bond with anyone else.</p><p>“Okay, okay! Where should we go?” Richie hikes Eddie up by his armpits while speaking.</p><p>“The rock quarry?” Bill suggests.</p><p>Eddie shakes his head quickly, “I won’t be able to get over that many rocks. How about the Kissing Bridge?”</p><p>They think about it for a moment. Hardly anyone passed by there, especially not adults who would try to stop them.</p><p>Directly in front of him, he can see Stan smiling and Richie beginning to grin, “Alright. Let’s get moving.”</p><p> </p><p>It takes them longer than they thought it would to travel towards the bridge, mainly because Eddie has lost all of his adrenaline and has to practically be carried up the hill.</p><p>No one really complains though, and Eddie only has a small tinge of worry when he sees the sun begin to set. His mom would not be happy about him being out all day.</p><p>They set him down in “the front row seat” to the show and all huddle around Richie’s bag as he pulls the fireworks out one by one.</p><p>A lot of the fireworks are just the ones that sit there and sparkle prettily, which surprises Eddie, although not when he thinks about how these were just the leftovers. Richie must have used up the louder ones.</p><p>He watches them carefully as they grab a pack of matches, trying to make sure they don’t burn themselves or burn down the bridge. But they all worked together and soon, the first firework is lit and sparkling in front of them.</p><p>They all gather around Eddie to watch. Huddling together as the warmth from the sun begins to fade, grins on their faces as bright as the fire.</p><p>For the first time since he became a kid again, he feels himself relax.</p><p>He nudges Stan so that he could get a little closer to the warmth, trying to enjoy the fact that he was hanging out with his best friends and that they were enjoying the moment.</p><p>They didn’t get a lot of those, after Pennywise entered their lives.</p><p>By the time the last one dies down, Georgie is blinking sleepily and Bill is holding him up by his collar, like holding a kitten by the scruff of his neck.</p><p>“I think it’s time to g-go, now.”</p><p>Satisfied with that ending, they all get up and brush themselves off. Richie helps Eddie to stand and immediately offers to help Eddie home.</p><p>Eddie shakes his head. No matter what Richie said, it was ridiculous that Richie was going to walk by his house to get to Eddie’s.</p><p>They all walk together until they can’t. Bill and Georgie part with a wave. Richie whines when they come across his house, but Stan says that he’ll take Eddie most of the way home so it would be fine.</p><p>Stan talks idly the whole way back, not even blinking when they pass his house. Eddie thinks about what Stan had said, in the clearing, about biding his time.</p><p>When they arrive on Neibolt street, Eddie stops. “I just realized that this partner thing isn’t flawless. If you take me all the way, you’d be walking home alone.”</p><p>Stan looks at him in surprise, “I had actually forgotten about the partner thing. I was just helping you home since you were injured.”</p><p>“I’m not <em>that</em> hurt.” He’d had worse, with the broken arm and all.</p><p>Stan looks down the street, at the light that was fading fast. They were only two short blocks away from Eddie’s house. “If you’re sure.”</p><p>Eddie nods, and Stan lets go of him gently, making sure he can hold his own weight.</p><p>They say goodbye to each other, Stan leaving with a, “If you see anything suspicious: scream and run as fast as you can. I’ll probably even hear you.” And then Eddie watches him go.</p><p>It did not escape his thoughts, that this was the most dangerous street to be left alone. But he also didn’t want Stan to have to come back alone on it, not prepared for anything.</p><p>Slowly, he makes his way down the street. He makes sure to throw a glare at the old well-house as he passes, daring something to come out.</p><p>But nothing does.</p><p>The house had scared him as a child, but now Eddie could see that it really was just a beat-down place.</p><p>He wonders if he could somehow seal off the well, so that no one would know about the horrors inside of it. Or, he supposes, that killing It would seal it on its own.</p><p>He arrives at his house without further incident, the sun out of the sky now.</p><p>He wonders what It was up to, now. We’re other children being hunted?</p><p>Eddie should try to kill It, soon. He only had a couple more months before another kid went missing, in the old timeline.</p><p>Could Eddie take on Pennywise alone? He remembers the feeling of choking It, feeling the leper get smaller in his hands. He’d almost finished the whole thing, right then.</p><p>Maybe It needed an extra kick, in order to go down for good.</p><p>He should research the ritual, just in case. He’d have to stop by the library tomorrow.</p><p>“Eddie! What happened to your foot?” A shrill voice asks before he even has a chance to step in the house.</p><p>Or maybe he’ll just be locked up in his room for the rest of his life.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, comments and kudos are the best motivators for me to upload faster!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! This chapter has nothing lovey-dovey in it, sorry! But you guys have MY love!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie was not allowed out the next day.</p><p>He sits in his bed with his foot propped up, bored out of his mind. Sonia checks in on him every half hour and conveniently forgets to shut the door each time.</p><p>He thinks about sneaking out but doesn’t see the point of enduring her wrath more than he has. Plus, with his sprained ankle, he would be able to make it out the door, let alone the window. He scowls down at the swollen mass.</p><p>Sonia offers three different kinds of ointments to try, one of which burns his nose when he sniffs at it. He thanks her and proceeds to pretend to rub them in while she watches. Luckily, she doesn’t look too closely as he puts it on. He does, however, make use of the ice pack she hands him.</p><p>He’s able to make it to the bathroom on his own, so that’s where he goes when his mom becomes a little too much.</p><p>There were no voices in the drain, this time. Just in case, Eddie leans over and calls insults down the sink.</p><p>He’s not sure if that was even going to hurt It. In fact, he’s not sure that he didn’t just shock the clown stupid with how bad the idea was.</p><p>Again, Eddie has to wonder where the clown was. Did It take days off? Or was it currently trying to munch on some other kid?</p><p>That made Eddie anxious. He wasn’t doing enough, wasn’t nearly fast enough to save anyone else.</p><p>He tries to remember if there had been anyone else missing in between Georgie and Betty Ripsom. He doesn’t think so, at least no one who was publicly announced. But he wouldn’t have paid that much attention in the first place, would he? Betty was announced at school because she went there. If someone like Mike, who was home-schooled, went missing he probably wouldn’t be able to catch the news of that.</p><p>It must hunt fairly slow. Picking his prey in advance, tormenting them just right until they’re scared enough to be tasty.</p><p>Eddie needed to stop thinking about It hunting his friends or else he was going to have a nervous breakdown.</p><p>Eddie hears a knock downstairs, so he exits the bathroom, straining his ears to listen.</p><p>He can only hear the faint murmur of words, but even that is enough to recognize Bill’s voice.</p><p>His mother says a quick two sentences, then the sound of the door being shut. She’s sent them away.</p><p>Gritting his teeth, he goes back to his room and shuts the door. It was only a small reprieve, since she was bound to come in again.</p><p>He grabs one of his school notebooks and flips it to a blank page. Grabbing a pen, he settles back down in bed, prepared to flip the notebook back to the scribbled math problems should Sonia barge in.</p><p>He begins writing ways he could defeat It, in this timeline. But soon it turns into just a rewrite of everything that had happened the first time around.</p><p>He circles events that he had prevented, and events that were prevented just from the domino reaction of saving Georgie. Then he jots down the new events that had occurred and begin to compare the two timelines, making sure to put notes in here and there.</p><p>He stops when writing about the leper.</p><p>Before, he’d encountered the leper every single time he saw It alone. But now Eddie had only saw him mimicking Richie. Was it because he had fought back against It last time? Did he conquer his fear?</p><p>In that case, why did he see Richie?</p><p>At first, Eddie had thought that it was an elaborate plan. If Eddie had trusted the fake Richie, he would have been an easy target. But the clown didn’t like easy. He liked scared.</p><p>The only time Pennywise had done that trick was with Bill, who was desperately searching for Georgie. It was a lure.</p><p>Was It trying to take Eddie? Why? Because he wasn’t as scared as he should’ve been? Wouldn’t that be a deterrent?</p><p>Eddie takes a moment to think.</p><p>What <em>was</em> he scared of now?</p><p>Well, Pennywise, he supposed. He was afraid of death, and the only immediate danger of that was the clown.</p><p>His medication didn’t scare him, nor did his mother, really. She was more of an annoyance.</p><p>He was afraid... of failing. Of this whole leap back in time being a waste, since he couldn’t protect anyone he cared about.</p><p>Slowly, he writes a note to himself.</p><p>
  <em>I don’t want to be alone.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>In the morning, Eddie makes sure to get dressed extra early, so that his mom would have a lower chance of keeping him at home. He waits until he hears her in the kitchen, then he heads downstairs.</p><p>Still, he’s stopped on his way out.</p><p>Sonia peeks her head immediately out of the kitchen at the sound of footsteps. At seeing him dressed and ready to go, her eyes widen, and she steps out into the hall. “What are you doing? You’re still limping!”</p><p>Eddie ignores her fake hysterics. He was hardly limping, now. “It’s Monday, mommy. I’ve got to go to school.” Eddie tightens the strap of his backpack.</p><p>“No, Eddie,” she whines, “You have to take off at least a week. What if you make it worse–? “</p><p>Eddie knows the more he let her talk the more she would get her way in the end.</p><p>“If I take off a week, I’ll fall behind in classes,” Eddie talks quickly over her, trying to inch closer to the door.</p><p>Startled, she stops talking.</p><p>“And then I’ll be stressed about catching up. And the stress will lead to anxiety. That will lead to depression. And then I won’t want to take care of myself. And then I’ll <em>die</em>.”</p><p>He watches Sonia’s face as it slowly realizes that <em>she raised a monster</em> and he holds back a joyous grin that his words actually worked.</p><p>But then she ruins it, like she does most things, and says, “If you didn’t want to take care of yourself, I would take care of you, Eddie-bear.”</p><p>What was he? A rag doll?</p><p>It was too bad that her final words were said just as Eddie had reached the front door. He could hear the clicking of bike tires outside.</p><p>“I’ll be careful, mommy,” He calls as he limps quickly outside and towards a waiting Richie.</p><p>“Eddie! You’re not going to ride the bike with a hurt foot, are you!?”</p><p>Richie looks at his expression for less than a second then nods at him to get on.</p><p>Eddie pulls himself up on the bike pegs carefully and clutches Richie’s shoulders for balance.</p><p>“Looking swell Mrs. K! I’ll make sure to take him home safe and sound after school.” Richie calls out as soon as his feet hit the pedals. He pumps his legs hard, so that whatever Sonia’s reply had been was lost to the wind in their ears.</p><p> </p><p>They arrive at school with minutes to spare.</p><p>This is where Eddie runs into a problem that he didn’t think he’d have.</p><p>He doesn’t remember his schedule.</p><p>“Let’s go, I bet we’ll beat Bill to home room.” Richie calls out, making his way to his class.</p><p>Home room. Right. He had it with Bill and Richie. Then he had… math?</p><p>Eddie sighs. This was going to be a long day.</p><p>Luck, however, was on his side. Because Richie thinks nothing about pointing out where his desk was. And inside, Eddie finds his schedule.</p><p>Elated at the small victory, Eddie pays no attention as the first bell rings and the teacher takes roll.</p><p>Soon, he’s sent to his next class.</p><p>In the crowded hallway, Eddie looks fleetingly around for Bev or Ben, but doesn’t find them. He would seek them out, but he hardly knew where his classes were, let alone theirs.</p><p>He cringes after making eye contact with Bowers, and ducts into the other hall to avoid him.</p><p>He bumps into someone who’s surprisingly smaller than he was. He feels them teeter before catching themselves.</p><p>“Sorry–”</p><p>He looks over and his eyes widen. He quickly lowers his lids, trying not to seem suspicious.</p><p>Betty Ripsom.</p><p>Betty looks at him, morosely. Her clothes looked more like a uniform, even though they weren’t required to wear one. They were pressed neatly, not a speck of dirt on them. Not even on her shoes.</p><p>Eddie winces as he looks at her shoes, then he’s suddenly tugged by his backpack back into the main part of the hallway.</p><p>He has a panicked moment of thinking it was Bowers, but the other boy speaks up before he can do anything more than flail his arms.</p><p>“You didn’t wait for me,” Stan says with a wrinkle to his nose. He spares a curious glance at Betty but continues forward without comment. Stan gives Bowers a cool glance as they pass, but it seems that Henry knew better than to start anything within teacher-hearing distance.</p><p>Eddie follows meekly behind him, stuck in his thoughts.</p><p>He wonders if he should have said something to Betty. Try to befriend her, so it would be easier to help her later.</p><p>But he supposed that it wouldn’t matter if he just killed It before the thing even thought of eating her.</p><p>The whole day stays like that. Eddie finds that, even if he didn’t know his schedule, enough people around him shared his classes and would walk with him to each one. Eddie could not remember talking to this many people who weren’t part of the Losers. It makes more sense to him after one of them asks for the answer to the homework that he didn’t do. Not friends, then.</p><p>In the middle of one of his last classes, he suddenly realizes that that was Ben sitting over by the corner. He hadn’t bothered to look around in class this time. He sits up straighter.</p><p>Eddie shifts back and forth impatiently throughout class, waiting for a moment he could get up and go over there. But it never comes. The teacher spends the whole class lecturing.</p><p>At the bell, Eddie darts up to catch him, but Ben is faster and quickly gets lost in another crowd. Eddie follows suit when he spots Bowers heading over, but Ben is gone from sight.</p><p>Slightly frustrated, Eddie makes his way back to home room to close out his day.</p><p>He meets back up with Bill and Richie, but only briefly. Bill has to pick up Georgie from the elementary school down the block. Richie offers Eddie a ride home, but he declines.</p><p>He needed to go to the library, see if he could catch Ben. And even if he couldn’t, he had to find out more about the ritual.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Are you guys ready to meet Ben next chapter??<br/>I can't wait because all this build up is taking forever!<br/>As always, comments and kudos are appreciated. They even motivate me to upload faster!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've kind of set the outline out and I think there's going to be 20 chapters.<br/>It's give or take, though. So it might change.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Entering the library was so weird as a kid. Eddie couldn’t really remember ever setting foot in there, except for when he was older. When Richie had finally put Bowers where he belonged: in the morgue.</p><p>Eddie can see the spot where the body would lie, shelves blocking a lot of his vision. Everything was a lot more cramped, to make room for the tables in the center. There were also no display cases of axes, which was a weird thing to have in the first place. He’d ask about it, but the Mike from this time wouldn’t know, would he?</p><p>He struggles with where to start looking, and he gets more and more nervous as he feels the stare of the librarian. Like she, too, could sense that he’s never genuinely looked for books inside a library before. He’s not even sure if he had a library card, at this age.</p><p>Eddie makes his way into the biggest part of the room. There were several tables lined up, but hardly anyone was around. In fact, there was only two people currently using them.</p><p>One of which was Ben, huddled over some open books and seemingly engrossed with their contents.</p><p>Excited about seeing a friendly face, Eddie rushes over without thinking.</p><p>It’s only when he’s resting his palms on the table and Ben looks up with confusion that doesn’t fade that he remembers that this Ben didn’t know him.</p><p>Eddie pastes a smile on his face, “Hi.”</p><p>Ben blinks a couple times at him, looking around a little, like he’s looking for who dared Eddie to come over. Eddie feels a twinge of sadness. It was already two months into the school year, and no one has approached Ben with any other title than “the new kid.”</p><p>After a second, Ben says, “Hello.”</p><p><em>How’s the weather?</em> This conversation wasn’t going anywhere.</p><p>At a loss of where to continue, Eddie just decides to jump right in, “Did you happen to know where I could find old... rituals?”</p><p>Ben looks surprised, “I don’t work here.”</p><p>Eddie keeps his polite smile, twitching at the corners at the awkward tension. No shit he didn’t <em>work there</em>.</p><p>Always the kind soul that Eddie was not, Ben continues, “But I could help you find it. I was looking at old newspaper’s just now.”</p><p>“Ah, I don’t think what I’m looking for would be in the newspapers.” Eddie looks down at the pages, seeing a picture of Derry from years ago, pages fraying and yellow at the edges. “Are there any other records?”</p><p>Ben thinks about it for a moment. Eddie can tell that he wasn’t thinking about whether or not there <em>were</em> such records, but whether or not he was going to help him. Decided rather quickly – again, always happy to assist – Ben stands up, “Sure there are. I’ll show you.” He gestures for him to follow.</p><p>Eddie avoids the gaze of the librarian, who has stared at their interaction for longer than necessary. She must be protective of her only regular patron.</p><p>Both of them walk into the back archives, the place surprisingly dark for being midday. It really set up a mood that Eddie didn’t want.</p><p>Apparently ignorant to the evil shadows, Ben looks around with interest. Eddie follows close behind, eyes staring holes in the back of his head.</p><p>What was he supposed to do from here on out? Say, “okay, let’s be friends now?” This encounter was not the same as the grand gesture saving Ben’s life had been the first time around.</p><p><em>Talk about his interests</em>. What was Ben interested at this age? He said he’d been reading the old newspapers in Derry…</p><p>Eddie imagines himself saying, “Hey, interested in Derry’s history? There’s a big historical figure in your sewer drains!” And decides saying anything even close to that was off the table.</p><p>Eddie is gearing up to at least try to invite him on the Loser’s next outing, when Ben speaks up, “It should be in this aisle. These are more like artifacts. Diaries, and such, left over by the people who used to live in Derry.”</p><p>“Thanks.” Eddie looks at the giant aisle. He never really noticed how small he had got until now. Could he even <em>reach</em> those books?</p><p>Ben starts pulling stuff off the shelf, “What did you say you were looking for?”</p><p>Eddie smiles a little at that. He’d thought Ben would just leave him, but he was going to help even further. Eddie really didn’t deserve Ben. He’d be sure to make it up to him.</p><p>“Old rituals?” Eddie didn’t know a better way of asking.</p><p>“Rituals? Like, cults?” Miraculously, Ben does not look like the request was at all weird.</p><p>Eddie stumbles through his explanation, “Sort of. Like I’m trying to look into this... curse. On Derry. I was wondering where it came from. And how to, uh, stop it.”</p><p>Ben’s expression is almost one of realization and Eddie zeros in on that. Was he realizing that Eddie was crazy, or had he already encountered It and he was realizing that Eddie had too?</p><p>“Have you seen anything... like that?”</p><p>Eddie squints at him, trying to assess whether or not he’d seen It based on how many times he blinked in the next second.</p><p>Ben just stares at him, “Well, I’ve noticed that a lot of tragic things happen in Derry. It seems to be consistent, but I haven’t calculated the years out just yet.”</p><p>Ah. That’s where the look came from.</p><p>“You’re researching that this early in the school year?” Eddie asks incredulously.</p><p>Ben shifts, “Well, I was interested. And I had nothing better to do.” A confused look steals over his expression, “What do you mean this early? There’s not that much homework from school or anything.”</p><p>Eddie waves it off quickly, not wanting to go there, “Nothing, nothing. So, bad things happening, you know anything about stopping It?”</p><p>“You’re trying to get rid of a century old curse that you think is placed on Derry?”</p><p>Eddie holds his chin up, “Yes.”</p><p>Slowly, Ben begins to grin, “Well, like I said, I’ve got nothing better to be doing. Let’s look around, shall we?”</p><p> </p><p>Ben and Eddie spend at least two hours combing through the shelves. Anytime Ben finds one he thinks Eddie will need, he’d show it to him. But Eddie has rejected every single one.</p><p>Ben must think he’s a hard ass, but Eddie would know if any of these were the right one. So far, they haven’t seen any that were even close.</p><p>Eddie stops longer than he should on a book that describes life after death.</p><p>He had died, technically, hadn’t he? Was this what death was, going back and trying to fix old mistakes? That sounded terrible. Would he keep looping back every time he failed? Was he in <em>purgatory</em>?</p><p>The book begins describing meeting the devil and Eddie closes it.</p><p>At least he didn’t have <em>that</em> problem. He narrows his eyes. Wait was <em>Pennywise</em> the devil in that scenario?</p><p>He tosses the book aside, deciding not to dwell further on it, lest he lose his mind.</p><p>Finally, they reach the end of the shelves. Eddie shakes his head at the last book and puts it back. Then Eddie looks over to what they’ve gathered that he deemed acceptable.</p><p>“That’s it!?” Eddie looks at the two books, one of which is only ‘inspired by true events.’</p><p>How did Mike say he got the information? He’d talked to everyone in town. But no one would listen to a kid, let alone take him seriously.</p><p>Damn it.</p><p>What’s he going to do now?</p><p>He swings his head over to Ben, who’s looking unsure. Eddie walks up next to him, “Thank you, for spending this whole time with me. Even if we didn’t find anything.”</p><p>“Oh, it’s no problem. Er, Eddie, wasn’t it?”</p><p>Oh god he had never introduced himself. This was a terrible start to their friendship.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m Eddie. You’re Ben, right? We have English together.”</p><p>Ben smiles and nods, probably glad that Eddie knew his name and didn’t just call him the new kid.</p><p>“Just checking, but you haven’t happened to see anything strange lately, have you?”</p><p>Worth a shot.</p><p>“Strange? Like how?”</p><p>Eddie nods to that, “If you have to ask, then you haven’t.” He points a finger at him, “Be careful. I’ve heard there’s a stalker around who’s picking up kids like us. If you see It, come tell me.”</p><p>Ben blinks at him, “O-okay.”</p><p>Eddie gives him a smile, “Did you want to hang out with me and the Lo- my, uh, other friends?”</p><p>Ben gives him a strange look, “Sure. Maybe sometime. I’ve got to get going now, though.”</p><p>“Me too!” Eddie grabs his bag from the ground and hikes it over his shoulders, “Want to walk together?”</p><p>He might as well protect Ben while he could get away with it. Telling him to join the partner system this early would be overkill.</p><p>They gather their things and head out together. Ben begins describing the terrible events he’s learned happened to Derry so far and Eddie, in turn, tells him about his encounter with Pennywise in the sewer. He holds back on the ‘It’s not human’ part, since that got him weird looks from the people that had already been his friends for years now.</p><p>“Oh, that’d be terrifying. At least you got the kid out of there.”</p><p>Eddie nods, but stop when Ben continues.</p><p>“I would still be careful, though. I’ve read a lot of cases like that where the abductor wouldn’t give up after one failed attempt.”</p><p>Eddie’s shoulders slump. What was he supposed to do about that? Should he go after It without the ritual and hope for the best?</p><p>Technically, Eddie couldn’t say that the ritual is what hurt It in the end anyway. It had seemed like the whole ritual never even worked. The balloon had stopped the final step, hadn’t it?</p><p>So, was it just the Losers making It small?</p><p>Obviously, Eddie couldn’t do that alone. He’d almost succeeded, but he wasn’t strong enough against the leper that time.</p><p>Eddie side-eyes Ben. Maybe he could accomplish it with only one other person? Ben had believed him on everything so far. And he didn’t even question Eddie when he thought he was researching a cult.</p><p>Ben clears his throat, “I hope they catch the guy before he gets anyone.”</p><p>Eddie sets his jaw and looks into Ben’s earnest eyes, “Yeah, I hope so, too.” He <em>had</em> to.</p><p>Ben steps up into his driveway, “This is my place. I’ll - uh - see you around?”</p><p>Eddie nods vigorously, “You will. And don’t forget to let me know if you see anything suspicious. Anything at all.”</p><p>“Well,” Ben hesitates before deciding to just go for it, “You’re kind of suspicious.”</p><p>Eddie gapes at him. Then proceeds to try to talk, but finds himself speechless, so his mouth just flaps uselessly.</p><p>Bemused at Eddie’s antics, Ben lets out a small chuckle, “Joking, sorry.”</p><p>Joking was a good sign. A friendly sign. Eddie grins at him, “You better be.”</p><p>They weren’t quite friend material yet. But they were at least “how are you doing” and “have you seen any clowns today”? Which Eddie would be taking advantage of, like, daily.</p><p>They wave to each other, Eddie setting off back the way they came, since his house was in the opposite direction. For the first time that day, he wished he’d just taken his bike to school instead of riding with Richie. It was a long way back.</p><p>When he gets home, his mother doesn’t freak out completely, since it hadn’t hit night yet. Eddie is slightly waiting for the catch. It comes a second later when she hands him two extra prescriptions for anxiety.</p><p>Eddie stares at them for a while, debating whether or not he actually needed them. Whether he would go down that path. Then he shuts them away in his drawer. They were probably made of sugar anyway.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, comments and kudos fuel my writing soul!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There is a self-harm/suicide mention in this chapter, so if you're not into that you might want to skip this one, since it takes up a good chunk. If you want, a brief summary of what happens will be in the end note without the mention.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After four weeks with no clown sighting, the Losers begin to slack.</p><p>Richie still picks him up faithfully with his bike, but Eddie thinks that that was more for the company rather than to protect him from anything.</p><p>Eddie himself was struggling between which emotion he should be feeling.</p><p>The clown hadn’t attacked anyone. Hooray!</p><p>But why? What was It waiting for?</p><p>All of these things didn’t factor in that Eddie still occasionally hears the voices in the drain at night.</p><p>Which, hey, that was new. He’s hearing It more than once without an encounter.</p><p>And if It could feed off annoyance as well as fear then he’d be full in no time.</p><p>But it’s the nights that Eddie hears nothing that worry him the most. Who was It going after, if not him?</p><p>Eddie made sure that it wasn’t Ben. Ben, who would now occasionally hang out with them on their breaks but would still seek out the library after school. Eddie tries to have no hard feelings about that, since Ben still thought he was a little weird in the first place. Hopefully, he’d come around.</p><p>As for his closer friends, none of them knew what to say to him when he asked about the clown. They’d treat it lightly, not like a joke, but nearly.</p><p>Eddie understood. It was scary, thinking about things like that. And hard to deal with, if what Eddie was saying was true. But to completely deny that it was true would cause a fight.</p><p>It was much simpler to go along with what he was saying, even if they didn’t believe a word.</p><p>Eddie trusted them enough to come to him if they see anything.</p><p>He worries over Bev and Mike, in the back of his mind. He only caught glimpses of Bev in the hall, always fleetingly. But he hadn’t seen Mike since his arrival in the past. Eddie didn’t know how to find him, either. He could show up at his farm, but he’d probably be chased away. Eventually, Eddie was going to have to catch him doing meat runs.</p><p>Mainly, Eddie has been keeping his eye on Betty Ripsom.</p><p>She was the next one to be taken away, in the original timeline.</p><p>He doesn’t approach her, but he finds himself looking towards her sometimes, watching her do mundane things that she couldn’t do had she not been alive.</p><p>It’s not until he sees the dark circles under her eyes that he decides to do something.</p><p>Immediately after school, Eddie makes excuses to Bill and Richie and makes his way down the long hall, trying to find her. He hears Richie call out a protest, but pays him no mind.</p><p>Eddie finds her almost immediately, leaning tiredly against the wall. Her shoulders are slumped, but she wears a smile for her two friends that hang around her.</p><p>As he walks up to them, he sees her friends elbow her and giggle. They weren’t quite pointing at him, but their eyes definitely were.</p><p>Evidently, her friends have noticed the staring.</p><p>“Hello,” he nods to them, then looks at Betty, “Could I talk to you for a second?”</p><p>Betty doesn’t look surprised. She nods and allows him to lead her into an emptying hallway, the kids all heading home quickly.</p><p>Her steps are quiet, gentle. When they stop, she doesn’t say anything, just tugs her sleeve down nervously. If Eddie hadn’t been watching her all week, he’d say she looked fine. The dark circles under her eyes were mostly covered by make-up, and her hair was only slightly out of place. But Eddie had seen the clean way she had her part every other day, so his hunch in something being off was probably correct.</p><p>He rubs at the back of his head, “So, I know this seems weird. But I’ve got something to ask you.”</p><p>Strangely, Betty straightens her spine in preparation and a faint hint of red steals over her cheeks.</p><p>Eddie takes a deep breath, bracing himself for more you’re-crazy looks. “Have you seen anything strange lately? Like, um, anything scary?”</p><p>At the question, the red fades from her face and she rapidly begins to pale.</p><p>Alarmed, he asks, “Betty? You okay?”</p><p>She shushes him and looks around warily. Once she sees that they’re truly alone, she murmurs, “How do you know about that?”</p><p>“You mean you’ve seen It?” Eddie’s eyes widen, he hadn’t seen that coming.</p><p> “I–” She swallows, “Sometimes. At night, when I’m praying.”</p><p>She brushes her hair away from her neck, sleeve pulling down a little.</p><p>And that’s when Eddie sees it.</p><p>Scars. Not healed ones, either. They’re built up atop another, each one fresher than the last.</p><p>Eddie looks at them in horror.</p><p>How does It pick the victims it goes after? They have to already be struggling, or put down, or hopeless.</p><p>Betty grabs at her necklace and pulls it out.</p><p>It was a rosary.</p><p>“As long as I have this,” she says, “the devil can’t speak to me.”</p><p>Eddie looks from the cross to her wrist. The devil. She was seeing the devil. That made sense.</p><p>Feeling sick, suddenly, Eddie tries to sound as gentle as he could, “Hey, what has It been saying to you?”</p><p>She looks at him, and she doesn’t look sad or scared or angry, she just looks blank. “It’s a sin, you know.” She gestures vaguely to her own arm, “Making your own end.”</p><p>Eddie continues using the soothing tone, but it sounded more choked up, now. “Have you gotten any help? Have you told anyone?”</p><p>She shakes her head, hair falling forward to hide her expression. “Just you. Well, I guess you asked, so maybe that doesn’t count.”</p><p>Eddie feels the same burn come over him when he saved Georgie. A fierce protectiveness.</p><p>She tilts her head, “It’s okay. As long as I don’t do it, the devil can’t take me.”</p><p>“And you’re not going to do it,” Eddie says hoarsely, “Right?”</p><p>Betty’s eyes shine with tears, but they don’t gather enough to fall.</p><p>Desperate, Eddie asks, “Did you want to hang out, later? My friends wouldn’t mind. And you can bring yours, if you wanted to–”</p><p>She cuts off his babbling, “I’ve got to go home. But maybe I’ll take you up on that offer, some day.”</p><p>She picks up her hand and lays it on his chest, over his heart, “Thank you, Eddie.”</p><p>It feels like a goodbye.</p><p>Dropping her hand, she makes her way over to the exit.</p><p>Eddie steps forward and grabs her before she walks fully away.</p><p>She looks back at him.</p><p>“Be careful.”</p><p>The cross twinkles in the light as she nods, “Of course.”</p><p> </p><p>Eddie meets back up with the Losers. He doesn’t listen to what they were saying, instead he stares off into the distance.</p><p>Finally, he’s jostled by Richie into paying attention.</p><p>“He was talking to <em>a girl.</em>”</p><p>They all make exclamations at that. Stan leans over, “Who was it?”</p><p>“Uh...” Eddie wonders if it was a bad idea to tell them, but he wasn’t in the mood to think about consequences, “Betty Ripsom.”</p><p>Before Stan can ask anything else, Richie cuts in with a song-song, “Oooh, do you have a crush?”</p><p>Thrown off, Eddie denies quickly, “What? No.” Which makes him look ten times more suspicious to the group of adolescent boys.</p><p>They tease him for a little longer, but they can sense something off, so it’s dropped quickly, and someone suggests they get ice cream, so that’s where they go.</p><p>Richie pays for his and pats him on the shoulder, almost gently.</p><p>Eddie decides to head home early, making up some excuse about his mom.</p><p>But at home, all he does is brood in his room until nightfall, where he waits for the talking to start in the drain.</p><p>It’s silent.</p><p>Eddie lays in his bed, staring at the ceiling morosely. What was he supposed to do?</p><p>He listens to the silent house for a long time, almost in shock. He couldn’t do anything. He can’t save anyone.</p><p>He should try.</p><p>Overwhelmed, Eddie gets out of bed and dresses quickly. He doesn’t care if Sonia caught him being so loud, he had no patience for her. Luckily, she slept like the dead, and didn’t even twitch at the noise.</p><p>He grabs his fanny pack and makes his way down the lattice.</p><p>He begins walking aimlessly.</p><p>He doesn’t know where Betty lived. He should have asked her.</p><p>But it was okay, he could still do something.</p><p>He makes his way to the well-house quickly. Once he’s in front of it, he shouts, “Hey! I know you’re in there, you clown freak!”</p><p>He’s answered with silence.</p><p>He shouts a couple more times, even walks around inside, the dark more unsettling than ever. But It doesn’t appear.</p><p>He stares at the well for a long time, but he can’t go down there in the emotional state he was in. He was trying to be a distraction, not trying to fight It. At this rate, all of Eddie’s emotions would make him a delicious, easy snack. And then he wouldn’t be able to save anyone.</p><p>Back outside, he stares at the empty house.</p><p>He feels useless. Tears spring to his eyes. He picks up a rock and throws it as hard as he could at the widow.</p><p>It shatters, but that was the only noise in the night.</p><p>“Please.” Eddie ducks his head and cries.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t feel like going back home, after that. He wanted someone to cry to. He walks slowly towards Richie’s, knowing it was the only house where his room’s window faced the front. And Richie was known for staying up late.</p><p>He doesn’t bother knocking, just presses his hands against the window and presses up, so that it opened.</p><p>He should really lecture Richie about locking his window. But he’d have to do that tomorrow, when he had more energy.</p><p>Richie looks over at him, alert. He sits too close to the tv, cross legged and popcorn in his lap, his hand tense over it like he was going to throw it at the burglar sneaking in.</p><p>“Eddie.” Richie blinks at him in shock, then looks over at his clock, “It’s three in the morning.”</p><p>Eddie clears his throat, “You should be in bed already. School’s tomorrow.”</p><p>Richie’s mouth stays stuck in an incredulous smile. He doesn’t bother pointing out the hypocrisy of Eddie’s words. He searches his face, and he must see Eddie’s puffy eyes, because he doesn’t push him for an explanation.</p><p>Eddie shuffles towards the bed slowly, not wanting to wake Richie’s parents. He collapses on it and Richie reaches over and pats his back, the same almost gentle touch as earlier. Eddie relaxes, somewhat.</p><p>When he is just on the verge of sleep, he hears Richie turn off his tv and scoot around him to get on the bed.</p><p>Richie hesitates, and Eddie is about to roll over since he really wasn’t giving Richie any room to lay down, but then Richie lays on top of him like a terrible blanket.</p><p>“If you think this is comfortable,” Eddie says, voice raspy, “You’d be wrong.”</p><p>Richie hums and tucks his head where Eddie’s shoulder meets his neck. “It’s okay.”</p><p>And despite Richie not knowing the situation, he continues, “It’ll all be fine, you’ll see.”</p><p>Eddie shifts and Richie finally wedges himself next to him. Eddie tries to not shake the bed with his sobs.</p><p>He curls into himself tightly and falls asleep to concerned fingers carding through his hair.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Brief summary of what happened: The clown hasn't been sighted for a while, so everyone begins to relax. Eddie finally works up the nerve to ask Betty if she's seen anything. She has seen It, as the devil. Her rosary is acting as a deterrent against It. Eddie feels hopeless, since he can't save her the way he did for Georgie. At night, he tries to distract It and make It go after him, but he's ignored. Eddie spends the night at Richie's, upset.</p><p>Sorry for the dreary chapter, but that's just how Pennywise likes it. Comments/Kudos are appreciated, as always!</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Whoops, I didn't mean to publish the chapter so soon yesterday, I had meant to edit it first. So, if you read the chapter within the first three hours or so, it's changed since then. Nothing drastic, just grammar mistakes and flow, so you probably don't have to reread it.<br/>Here's the next one, hope you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie wakes up to Richie’s alarm and can’t find it in him to get out of bed.</p><p>Richie shuffles around him and turns it off. Immediately, Eddie hear his bare feet pad across the floor and leave the room, door clicking softly behind him.</p><p>Eddie slides his eyes closed and doses.</p><p>He is awoken again by Richie sitting next to him, settling near his feet. Bleary-eyed, Eddie looks at the time.</p><p>“School starts soon.” He says this in monotone, no energy left to say it any other way.</p><p>Richie scrunches up his nose, “What kind of friend would I be, letting you ditch alone?”</p><p>Eddie stares at the wall for a little, feeling nothing, before Richie pokes him in the cheek with cold plastic. Eddie looks.</p><p>It was the phone.</p><p>“You should call your mom. Tell her you left for school early, or else your face will end up on a milk carton.”</p><p>Eddie winces at the wording, but dutifully grabs the phone from Richie and dials. This number, he remembers.</p><p>His listens to his mom screech about how worried she was, and Eddie assures her that he had meant to leave a note, but he was in a hurry. He had a study group to get to, he lied.</p><p>Richie sits patiently as Eddie gets through the painful conversation. When Eddie finally hangs up, Richie takes the phone back.</p><p>“I told my mom you were sick and didn’t want to tell your mom. So, she called out for you, pretending to be her.”</p><p>Eddie was so grateful for Richie’s family right then, but at the same time he was envious. Never in his life could he call out sick without being stuffed with five different kinds of medicine.</p><p>Eddie pushes himself so that he was sitting more upright. He looks at Richie’s socked feet. “Are you going?” Eddie asks roughly.</p><p>“No,” Richie smiles. “She took one look at me and told me to stay home too. Something about dark circles and looking like a raccoon.” Richie pokes at his under-eye bags, pointing them out beneath his glasses.</p><p>Grateful for the company, Eddie reaches out suddenly and hugs him.</p><p>Richie takes a second, but eventually he brings his arms up and pats his back, “So, I don’t know about you, but I’m sleeping at least until noon.” Richie hugs him and falls to the side, so they’re both laying down again.</p><p>They’re silent for a minute, before Richie says softly, “It’s not your mom, is it?”</p><p>He says it low enough that Eddie could easily pretend he couldn’t hear him. But Richie’s arms were warm around him, and he hadn’t prodded the information out of him the night before. Eddie shakes his head.</p><p>Richie hesitates, then says, “Is it Betty Ripsom?”</p><p>Eddie tenses and buries his face further, which brings him in close proximity to the other boy’s armpit. It smelled very <em>Richie</em>, which was oddly comforting.</p><p>Richie doesn’t say anything more and Eddie has to wonder what he’s thinking. It was strange, Eddie caring for someone he’d just met. And with the comment yesterday about him having a crush...</p><p>Oh. He thinks Eddie was rejected. Or dumped.</p><p>It was funny, never in his life had Eddie felt strong enough feeling for anyone he had dated. No one’s rejection would hurt like this.</p><p>But maybe he was lying to himself. He didn’t like being alone, and if the Losers weren’t here with him, he’d fall apart.</p><p>Would the rejection be the same? He would always love the Losers more deeply than anyone else he’d met. It’s just how it was meant to be.</p><p>Eddie falls asleep like that, grateful for the boy who limbs were tangled up with his.</p><p>When he next wakes up, he’s alone in the bed. But he could hear the faint noise of the tv behind him.</p><p>Eddie rolls over and looks at Richie, who’s sitting too close to the screen again.</p><p>“Richie, I don’t think there’s a strong enough prescription in the world for you to be that close to the tv all day.”</p><p>Richie turns and smiles at him, “The glasses protect me.”</p><p>“No, I don’t think that’s how it works.” Eddie gets off the bed and settles next to him. He looks at the clock. It was a quarter past noon.</p><p>They sit there and finish the episode of a sitcom that Eddie was unfamiliar with. He’d never watched too much tv as a kid and was uninterested in it as an adult.</p><p>When it’s over, Richie flips through the channels slowly.</p><p>He stops when his mom calls for him. “Crap. Chores.”</p><p>He shoves the remote at Eddie, “Go ahead and pick something.”</p><p>Eddie looks down at the remote, trying to find the button to switch the channels. Richie had left it on some kids show, where everyone’s voice was high-pitched while learning how to spell out loud.</p><p>“<em>Alright, kids, go ahead and spell the word out for me. Ready?</em>”</p><p>Eddie finally finds the button and looks up at the screen.</p><p>“<em>F-L-O-A-T</em>.”</p><p>He doesn’t move.</p><p>One of the kids was Betty.</p><p>“<em>And what does the sentence say all together</em>?”</p><p>Eddie clicks the channel button, but the tv doesn’t move.</p><p>All at once, the kids say, “<em>We all float down here!</em>”</p><p>Eddie hits the power next, but nothing happens. Eddie stares at the screen in a small panic. He can’t look away from Betty. Pretty, well put together Betty, not a hair out of place. Clothes tucked neatly and skirt ironed straight.</p><p>She moves slightly, and the cross on her chest twinkles.</p><p>Eddie reaches forward and pulls the plug.</p><p>The tv goes blissfully dark. Eddie sits there, breathing hard. After a moment, he wonders if he should have called Richie in here. Show him the evidence.</p><p>He hears Richie makes his way over now, loudly announcing that he finished cleaning the laundry room and that he was going to take care of his sick <em>guest</em> now.</p><p>Eddie has two second to school his expression before Richie barges in. Sodas weigh down his pants, sticking out of both of his pockets. He balances a plate with two sandwiches on it. Eddie eyes them.</p><p>“You didn’t make them, did you?”</p><p>Richie kicks Eddie in the leg, “Your appreciation is overwhelming.” He hands him one of the sodas, then settles down next to him so that they could share the plate.</p><p>Richie looks at the blank tv and says around a mouthful of food, “You didn’t want to watch anything?”</p><p>“No.” Eddie lifts the bread to see what kind it was. Ham. “We should do something else.”</p><p>“Like what?”</p><p>Eddie thinks for a moment, “Did you get any new comics?”</p><p>Richie’s expression lifts into geek mode, his eyes round and bright.</p><p> </p><p>They spend the rest of the afternoon that way. Reading comics side by side, showing each other the interesting parts. Soon, all thought of It leave Eddie’s mind while he argues which character should win the fight coming up.</p><p>He was cheating, since he already knew which character would win next week. But Richie didn’t need to know that.</p><p>After Richie closes the last of them, he searches through his drawers and pulls out a Walkman.</p><p>Eddie tries to keep his amusement to himself. He hasn’t seen one of those in ages.</p><p>Richie pops in a tape and sticks the headphones on his head.</p><p>“Did ya hear this yet, Eds?” The music blasts loud enough that Eddie can hear it clearly. Richie jumps up onto his bed and bounces around.</p><p>He sings along badly to a rock song. Mimicking a microphone, he yells more than sings.</p><p>Eddie watches this, watching him have a genuinely good time. So carefree, not like his older counterpart.</p><p>“I’ll protect you,” Eddie whispers so low, that it’s drowned out by the squeaking springs on the bed.</p><p>Richie pulls off his headphones and puts then around his neck, “It’s a great song.”</p><p>“I’m sure.”</p><p>“It is! Here, you listen.” Richie tries to stick them on his head.</p><p>Eddie dodges, “You’re going to blow out my eardrums with that crap.”</p><p>Even more determined now that Eddie was protesting, he grapples with him, trying to stick them on his head.</p><p>In the middle of this, Maggie Tozier walks in with her hands on her hips.</p><p>They both freeze, Eddie on the floor with his knees up, holding Richie away. Richie on top of him and smacking him gently with the end of the headphones.</p><p>“You two seem lively.”</p><p>Eddie feels the beginnings of guilt, but Richie starts to whine, “Mom, Eds won’t listen to my music.”</p><p>Eddie finally finds some leverage and kicks him solidly in the stomach. Richie goes down with an ‘<em>oof.</em>’</p><p>Eddie sits up, “Don’t call me Eds.”</p><p>Maggie lets out a small chuckle, “Not everyone has your strange taste, Richie. Eddie probably didn’t want to hurt your feeling by throwing up after the first listen.”</p><p>Eddie can feel his eyes begin to shine with delight. He had forgotten that someone had raised Richie to be the way he was.</p><p>Maggie looks to him, “Eddie, did you want anything to drink? I haven’t seen you all morning.”</p><p>Not liking being ignored, Richie flails his arms around, “I got him soda, ma.”</p><p>“How about some water, then?”</p><p>Eddie looks at her smile and forgets the rest of his worries, “Water would be great. I can stand this sugary crap.”</p><p>Richie makes a loud offended noise while his mom just grins, “I thought so. Richie just runs on the stuff. I’ll get you some ice water.”</p><p>Eddie pulls himself up, “I can get it!” He follows quickly behind her, both of them ignoring Richie’s protest of leaving him behind.</p><p>“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Tozier.” Eddie makes sure to say when they reach the kitchen.</p><p>“Oh, it’s no problem. You’re welcome here anytime. Especially since Richie seems fond of you.”</p><p>Eddie mouths the word <em>fond</em> while cracking the ice into the cup.</p><p>Richie runs into the room like he’s on fire, “Stop the conversation right there!”</p><p>Maggie just laughs and heads toward the den, “I’ll be in here if you need me. Eddie don’t forget what I said. If you run into any problems, just stop by here. We can accommodate you.”</p><p>Richie sticks out his tongue, “Jeez, don’t adopt him.”</p><p>They can no longer see her, but they do hear when she calls out, “Keep your grades the way they are, and I’ll take him and dump you.”</p><p>Eddie smiles as he pours the water. No matter how much they insult each other for fun, the tone remains caring. Richie was so lucky to have a loving family.</p><p>The phone rings and Richie immediately picks it up.</p><p>Eddie hears the murmur of voices and Richie exclaims, “Stan the Man! Just who I wanted to hear.”</p><p>School must have ended. Eddie shuffles closer, trying to listen.</p><p>“No, no. Eddie’s here with me! Did you want to go somewhere?”</p><p>Finally, Eddie gets close enough to hear the other side of the conversation.</p><p>“No,” Stan says flatly, “I was just wondering if you were all out having some weird threesome.”</p><p>Richie looks at Eddie to see if he heard that. When he sees that Eddie had, his shoulder hunches up to his ears, as if in embarrassment.</p><p>“Why would you think that? And what do you mean three–” he cuts himself off, likely knowing that his mom could still hear him from a room over.</p><p>“You and Eddie weren’t at school.” Stan explains, “And Betty Ripsom didn’t show up to class today.”</p><p>Richie looks over to him sharply and Eddie feels himself grow numb. Richie grabs the glass from him with his free hand before he could drop it.</p><p>“I’m gonna call you back, okay Stan? Don’t miss me too much.” Richie then immediately hangs up.</p><p>Richie holds onto the glass of water and looks at Eddie with worry. Eddie finds that he had no more tears to give him. He just nods his head sullenly and rests his forehead against Richie, quiet.</p><p>He’s failed.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There's gonna be a mighty time skip in the next chapter, so that we can finally get to the summer and It can begin hunting for real! Which is very bad for Eddie, but exciting for us!<br/>As always, comments and kudos motivate me to write faster, so leave some if you liked it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is a little bit longer than usual, but I'm pretty sure my next one is going to be a little shorter than usual, so they even out.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It takes two more days for Betty Ripsom to be declared missing.</p><p>Two weeks before her poster is hung up everywhere.</p><p>Two months for it to start fraying and falling away.</p><p>Curfew had been enforced around town, but even without it the kids were starting to head home early. The end of the school year was arriving quickly, and they were being swamped with homework in a desperate attempt to get them to learn something.</p><p>Eddie hardly focuses on studying, but that was because he was hardly focusing on anything.</p><p>He had been in the past for several months now, and the only thing that he accomplished was saving Georgie.</p><p>They were coming up on the regular timeline quickly, now. Eddie supposed, if he truly did nothing else, things would run their course like normal. And then the Losers would all finally get together and believe him.</p><p>But, Eddie finds, no matter how simple that sounded, it was a whole other thing to be living it. He didn’t want the normal timeline to come to pass, because that would mean putting everyone through the horror of It, who had such a big impact on their lives.</p><p>Eddie has visited the well-house several times since Betty went missing. No matter what he did, it seemed that It was ignoring him now.</p><p>That’s what he got for not being afraid. It didn’t want him anymore.</p><p>Even the voice in the drain had stopped. Which only brought Eddie more despair.</p><p>The Losers don’t say much to him about Betty, trying to avoid the pained look in his eyes when they mention her. They’re not sure if they should be connecting her disappearance with the clown or not.</p><p>The police sure weren’t. In fact, all record of the incident Georgie went through was seemingly erased from their minds.</p><p>Eddie makes it through the last month of school with no incidents.</p><p>Despite how drastic life had changed for him, the last day of school stayed the same.</p><p>At the final bell, Richie and Bill pair up with him, walking to get Stanley. Bill takes a detour to go pick up Georgie. That, at least, had changed from last time.</p><p>Knowing that a seven-year-old would soon join up with them did not censor their dick jokes. Eddie didn’t join in, but he did laugh at a few. They were funny. Sue him.</p><p>It especially cracked him up when they started pulling things out of their ass because they didn’t know what they were talking about.</p><p>All of them take the same route as last time, except Eddie stops fully when he sees Betty Ripsom’s mother standing outside.</p><p>He feels like he should apologize to her, for not warning her about It.</p><p>The Losers don’t comment on what he was doing, but Stanley does step up to take a closer look at the missing poster.</p><p>Georgie comes barreling up, screaming excitedly about there being no more school for a while.</p><p>Eddie thinks about how Georgie almost didn’t make it to see today. And how Betty didn’t make it at all.</p><p>Stan slides his gaze over to Eddie once Georgie starts up again.</p><p>He’s thinking the same thing Eddie just was.</p><p>He doesn’t say anything.</p><p>“Summer, summer, summer.” Richie comes bouncing up to the trash, dumping all his notebooks. Eddie looks at the sign with the curfew posted.</p><p>He doesn’t see the moment Bowers attacks.</p><p>Bowers throws Richie around by his bag, and Eddie stays surprisingly calm. This was happening exactly as last time, so the cop would take one look at him and he’d stop.</p><p>Just before that happens, Georgie walks up and punches him in the balls.</p><p>Not like last time, then.</p><p>Bill grabs Georgie and they all take off together while Bowers crouches down in pain. Eddie makes sure to get closer to the cops standing there as he runs by so Bowers and his gang would pause before going further.</p><p>Once they’re far enough away, Richie falls to the ground and starts scream-laughing.</p><p>Everyone soon joins in and Georgie looks to each of them, delighted but also confused at what was so funny.</p><p>Eddie wipes the tears from his eyes and begins to think about what he’s going to do now.</p><p>Should he let everyone encounter It? And, if he didn’t want that, how would he stop them?</p><p>He thinks back to the curfew.</p><p>Keeping them inside while it was dark would help.</p><p>Eddie thinks about it harder. Wait. Didn’t Bill say he met Pennywise as Georgie the first time around? Did that mean he wouldn’t see It?</p><p>And Richie... Richie never saw It at all.</p><p>What about Stan? He saw It as the lady in the painting. Which was in his father’s office.</p><p>Eddie is suddenly having the horrible realization that he really couldn’t stop anything from coming to pass. Or <em>not</em> coming to pass.</p><p>It took him several minutes of inner panic before he noticed that everyone was looking at him.</p><p>He had obviously missed something. “What?”</p><p>Stan side-eyed him, while Richie jabbed him in the ribs, “What part didn’t you hear?”</p><p><em>All of it.</em> “Uhh...”</p><p>Richie rolled his eyes, “Street Fighter. Stanley is objecting.”</p><p>“All I’m saying,” Stan tucks his hands together, “Is that you don’t want to spend your <em>entire</em> summer doing that.”</p><p>Eddie would agree, especially since he sucked at that game and Richie couldn’t pay attention to him when playing it.</p><p>Which told him a lot more about himself than he would admit.</p><p>But the arcade closed at night. It gave Richie enough to do during the day that he would go immediately home. Then Pennywise would have no time to go after him, if It even wanted to.</p><p>“Street fighter sounds... fun.” Eddie forces out.</p><p>Richie blinks at him, “That was the most bullshit tone I’ve ever heard.”</p><p>Before Eddie could protest, Richie throws up his arms, “Fine, fine. No arcade. What should we do all summer then, Stan?”</p><p>“Don’t ask me. I’m not the group leader.”</p><p>They all look to Bill.</p><p>Bill takes a moment to notice, “W-what?”</p><p>“Well? What are we doing, leader?” Richie asks.</p><p>Bill stutters for a moment, denying that he was the head of the group, which made him the best leader, in Eddie’s opinion.</p><p>Eddie wonders if he should go look for Ben. Or Mike. Or Bev.</p><p>Eddie suddenly remembers that Bowers was going to jump Ben when he exits the library today. Oh shit.</p><p>Talking over all of them, Eddie announces, “I think I’m gonna head home.”</p><p>Richie’s voice gets a hint of urgency, “<em>What</em>? You want to hang out with Ms. K all day?” He steps closer to him, “You can’t just steal my plans. Do you have the flu?”</p><p>Eddie sighs, “If I had the flu, would I really be going home?”</p><p>Richie bites his lip.</p><p>“You don’t w-wanna come with us, Eddie?” Bill asks.</p><p>“Eh, I’ll meet up with you guys later? I’ve just got something to do really quick.” Not waiting for more protests, Eddie turns and begins making his way to the library.</p><p>He hears footsteps rush to catch up with him.</p><p>Stanley appears at his side, slowing down so that they match pace. “Are you okay? You’ve been spacing out since this morning.”</p><p>Eddie eyes him, then lets out a sigh, “Just tired, I guess.”</p><p>Stan hums, “And I bet all this discussion about staying out past curfew isn’t helping.”</p><p>Eddie shoots him a fleeting glance. He honestly hadn’t heard them discussing that, but <em>hell yes</em> that bothered him.</p><p>Stan looks back at the others before continuing, “We’ll follow the rules. No staying out, unless we’re together.” He tilts his head, “No one would attack a group of boys, right?”</p><p>“You’d be surprised.”</p><p>Stan smiles gently, “Yes, but you wouldn’t, would you?”</p><p>Before Eddie can read into that, Richie jogs up to them shouting, “Hey! What’s with the secrets?”</p><p>Stan doesn’t turn. “There’s no secrets when being friends with you, Trashmouth.”</p><p>They all set out together, despite Eddie saying he’d go alone.</p><p>“Let’s hang out at the quarry,” Richie spits out almost desperately, “We can just relax, we don’t have to do much.”</p><p>Eddie racks his brain. They had met Ben when he was already hurt at the Barrens, but if they got him before that...</p><p>“Fine. I’ll go to the quarry with you. But let’s go by the Kissing Bridge first.”</p><p>Richie nods wildly, agreeing without question.</p><p>Stan looks like he wants to ask, but Georgie finally speaks up, “Billy, I have to change shoes. I can’t get these ones dirty.”</p><p>Bill looks down at him, “O-oh, that’s right. M-maybe we shouldn’t–”</p><p>“We’ll meet you there,” Richie and Eddie say at the same time.</p><p>Eddie blinks at him, hearing both of their desperate tones.</p><p>Stanley’s eyebrows raise, but all he says is, “I’ll go with Bill and Georgie. I want to grab some things before we go down there. We’ll meet you down at the quarry.”</p><p>As they walk away, Eddie hears Georgie ask, “Did you want us to stop by your house too, Stan?”</p><p>“No,” Stan says shortly. “I just didn’t want to be a third wheel.”</p><p>At hearing that, Eddie suddenly remembers the look Stan gave Richie the day he hugged him.</p><p>Eddie looks at Richie, wondering.</p><p> </p><p>They make their way to the Kissing Bridge together. They arrive right around the time Ben should be there, but he doesn’t show up.</p><p>Eddie runs his hands through his hair in frustration.</p><p>They wait for a few more minutes like that, Richie shooting him a few looks, then staring at some of the carvings in thought. Eddie follows his gaze to one with both of their initials, already ready to write it off as a coincidence, but then Richie does something strange.</p><p>Richie sees him looking at it and flushes.</p><p>Eddie stares at Richie for a little.</p><p>There was no way...</p><p>After that, Eddie gives up on waiting. Ben must have stayed in the library. At least he was safe from Bowers in there.</p><p>Beverly would probably still show up at the clinic... but he’d have to go alone. There would be no excuse he could make to get them all to go.</p><p>Maybe he could break his inhaler and have an “asthma attack.”</p><p>The thought of faking one was enough to put a bad taste in his mouth, so maybe he wouldn’t try that.</p><p>He makes his way down to the quarry with Richie, only half listening to the story about his last detention that Eddie could already vaguely remember hearing about a lifetime ago.</p><p>Eddie, meanwhile, is trying to remember whether or not Richie had ever had a girlfriend. Of course, Eddie wouldn’t know, would he? He knew him before the age where you would even get a girlfriend and then only met him as an adult, where Eddie was married, and Richie was-</p><p>“And you know what happened <em>then</em>?” Richie says, clearly trying to catch him not paying attention.</p><p>“Then...” Eddie tries to remember the details, “your teacher said she’d give you detention if you threw another one and someone else threw it but she wouldn’t believe you.”</p><p>There was only a few moments Eddie could remember where Richie had been at a loss for words. Eddie has never had the privilege of causing it until now. He almost gloats at him, before thinking better of it.</p><p>He’d cherish this moment later.</p><p>“That is- Stan told you?” He can see Richie struggling to think of when that might have happened.</p><p>Eddie takes pity on him. “Heard it from someone else in your class.”</p><p>Richie eyes light up, “No, that’s not <em>just</em> what happened, the little bitch actually...”</p><p>Eddie listens to him ramble on with more details, wondering how he’d react if he told him that he’d lived a whole life with and without him already.</p><p>A sharp pain hits him in the middle and he puts his hand over it.</p><p>Richie stops talking, “Need to take a dump? There’s some nice bushes back there.”</p><p>“I hate you.”</p><p>Richie laughs at that and throws his arm over his shoulders.</p><p>Eddie rubs over the sting, already fading.</p><p>He would know if Richie liked men, wouldn’t he? That’s something that Eddie should notice; Richie would never be described as subtle.</p><p>In fact, Eddie shouldn’t be dense enough to miss Richie liking <em>him</em>.</p><p>Eddie thinks back to a bunch of small moments. Stan had teased them, Maggie had teased them, Richie himself had been possessive over him.</p><p>But didn’t that come with friendship?</p><p>The Richie he knew wasn’t afraid to take risks. He was the brave one. If he was interested, he’d flirt and tease and get all up in Eddie’s space-</p><p>“You really <em>are</em> off today.” Richie says, face pressed close.</p><p>This makes Eddie realize that he hadn’t shaken Richie’s arm off. Which he would normally do immediately. They had been walking for two minutes together. Richie was probably freaking out on the inside.</p><p>Eddie shrugs his arm off before it got more awkward. At least they were near the quarry. It was 1988, they would have definitely got beat up for doing that had anyone seen them. Especially in Derry.</p><p>Eddie blinks at that.</p><p>Oh.</p><p>Was <em>that</em> why he never told them?</p><p>“Richie, strange question, but are you afraid of clowns?”</p><p>“Clowns?” Eddie thought he would look defensive, but he just looked confused, “Why? Is this about the stalker?”</p><p>“No. Kind of. It doesn’t matter. Don’t try to figure out why I asked, just answer me.”</p><p>Richie twists his mouth unhappily, “No, I’m not. I’ll beat up any clown that comes our way.”</p><p>Ah, that explained a lot.</p><p>A wave of sadness overtakes Eddie. Poor Richie. He felt like he couldn’t tell them, even after all they had been through.</p><p>Richie sees his expression and opens his mouth to ask, but Eddie interrupts him.</p><p>“Can I have a hug?”</p><p>Richie’s face goes through a small panic, but he opens his arms immediately.</p><p>Eddie steps into them.</p><p>He wonders if he makes Richie nervous.</p><p>Loud, boisterous Richie. Confident in his jokes and brave to a fault. Heart beating faster for Eddie.</p><p>The same Eddie that screamed about diseases when he fell in the mud. The Eddie that cried when Richie put his mouth on his inhaler when they were ten. <em>That</em> Eddie.</p><p>Eddie always knew that Richie had a soft spot for him, despite all the teasing. He had just thought that Richie had felt bad for him, being afraid of so many things that made up the world he lived in.</p><p>They both hear leaves being kicked around behind them.</p><p>Richie drops his arms immediately, but Eddie pulls back slowly and looks.</p><p>Bill and Georgie are looking up at the trees, practically whistling while pretending not to notice what was happening. Stanley is giving Richie a questioning look with a hint of understanding.</p><p>So, Richie <em>had</em> told someone. That’s good.</p><p>Eddie pulls fully away.</p><p>“So, we gonna jump in the water or what?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know that Richie isn't supposed to have carved anything yet into the bridge yet, but that will be explained later, I swear!<br/>Let me know what you guys think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Ten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Slightly shorter chapter this time. But some action is finally gonna happen in the next one I swear!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Losers were all done with the dip in the quarry and had decided to sunbathe to get dry. Instead of relaxing with the warmth like the others, Eddie worried over small things and big things.</p><p>He could feel the missing spots of where Ben, Bev, and Mike should be. Technically, only Ben was really missing from the original timeline so far. But that one mistake was seemly causing a domino effect. Eddie wasn’t sure if he was going to able to get any of them to join, now.</p><p>And then the old anxiety started, where Eddie worries over who It was currently trying to capture. Pennywise had taken Betty without any resistance. Eddie wasn’t even sure if he was on It’s radar anymore.</p><p>Eddie had decided that no matter who It was after next, Eddie would stop the clown before It got the chance to take anyone else.</p><p>Eddie takes a breath in anticipation.</p><p>He had to let the Losers know about the threat, at least. They were still unsure if the clown-stalker was even around.</p><p>“It was the clown who took Betty.” His voice immediately broke the peaceful bubble they were creating. It takes a few seconds for anyone to respond.</p><p>Richie sits up quickly, “What?”</p><p>Stan just looks at him and nods once, like he was expecting this.</p><p>“H-how do you know t-that, Eddie?” Bill looks alert, putting his hand out for Georgie when the kid looks around in fear.</p><p>Eddie doesn’t know how to respond to that, but Stan saves him from fumbling.</p><p>“That day you were talking with her,” Stan says, “It was about the clown, wasn’t it?”</p><p>Eddie blinks at him. Stan was way too perceptive. It was one thing to guess that the clown took Betty, but a whole other thing to guess what they were talking about. He nods.</p><p>“Wait, wait, wait.” Richie looks between them and throws his hands out, “If we know this, why aren’t we telling the police?”</p><p>Georgie shakes his head, “The police can’t help.”</p><p>Eddie looks at him.</p><p>Did Georgie know It wasn’t human? He hadn’t made any indication that he had realized that, the time after the sewer. But he hadn’t directly said anything about It, had he?</p><p>Eddie tries to tamper down the joy at having a seven-year-old on his side. Baby steps.</p><p>Bill furrows his brow, “T-they never did f-follow up on the report. The police.”</p><p>“So, what?” Richie says, “Did you want to go to the sewers and look for her?”</p><p>Everyone looks at him strangely for the suggestion. Eddie gave him the strangest look of all. The only reason they looked in the Barrens the first time was because Bill wanted to find Georgie. They hardly knew Betty.</p><p>Richie looks to him, “We could find something, point the police in the right direction, anyway. Maybe they’ll find her.”</p><p>Eddie knew what they would find. And even if they found her shoe, he didn’t think the police would go down there. Pennywise wasn’t going to let them that close.</p><p>He shakes his head, “No, what if we end up running into the clown?”</p><p>Georgie gulps at that, but the rest of them look like they were considering it.</p><p>The threat wasn’t real to them.</p><p>They weren’t scared.</p><p>Eddie had trouble deciding if that was a bad thing.</p><p>“Then we’d kick his ass. One less child stalker in the world wouldn’t be a bad thing.” Richie punches his hand to make the point.</p><p>“Y-yeah, then the curfew would be lifted.” Bill nods and pats Georgie’s shoulder, his second reason unspoken.</p><p>Eddie shares a look with Georgie, but it’s Stan who speaks, “That sounds fun and all, but what if the guy is stronger than us? Or he has a gun?”</p><p>Richie quickly counts heads, “Five against one! We got this.”</p><p>Stan looks at him flatly for counting the seven-year-old, “And if one of us gets shot?”</p><p>Richie clicks his tongue, “Grow a pair, Stanley. Even Georgie isn’t protesting.”</p><p>Georgie had been nervously picking at his nails, but at the sudden call of attention his eyes widen. He looks at Stan, then at Richie. He decides which one he wanted to impress quickly, “I’m not afraid!”</p><p>Eddie hangs his head. Georgie’s opinion was swayed way too easily.</p><p>Stan sighs, “Are the Barrens the only place we can get in the sewer?”</p><p>Bill and Eddie talk at the same time, “No.”</p><p>Startled, Bill stops and looks to Eddie.</p><p>“The- the well house.” At their blank look, he continues, “The one on Neibolt.”</p><p>“The one with all the homeless squatters?” Richie expression changes just as he gets through the question.</p><p>They all realize it at the same time.</p><p>“Is that where the clown lives!?”</p><p> </p><p>Later, Eddie trudges home, not knowing how to feel.</p><p>They had all started making plans, deciding to go to Neibolt the next morning.</p><p>Eddie knew that they were doing this for him. They weren’t interested in Betty <em>or</em> the clown. They just wanted Eddie to stop looking so defeated.</p><p>And Eddie, he really couldn’t decide if what they were planning on doing was a bad thing. This would give them the upper hand, on It. Maybe it would be this easy, skipping to the last step and getting this over with.</p><p>But It hadn’t been showing up to the well-house. What if It didn’t show up this time?</p><p>Would that be a bad thing?</p><p>Eddie tries to think of a world where Pennywise went to sleep after munching on his choice of kids, never touching the Losers.</p><p>Would Eddie be okay with that?</p><p>No. It would weigh on his conscience the rest of his life.</p><p>He arrives at his house, greeting his mom who’s watching tv in the living room. Then he quickly heads towards the stairs.</p><p>Before his foot lands on the first step he stops.</p><p>“<em>Alright kids, you ready for another word?</em>”</p><p>A chill rakes up his spine. There would be no reason for his mom to be watching a kids show.</p><p>Eddie turns and makes his way back to the living room.</p><p>“<em>A-F-R-A-</em>“</p><p>Eddie turns the corner just as his mom switches the station.</p><p>Eddie stands there for a second, listening to the news announce the death of someone famous. He stares at his mom.</p><p>She looks nonplussed, “Did you need anything, Eddie?”</p><p>Eddie takes a breath, “No, ma. Never mind.”</p><p>Fuck this. He’d go with the Losers to the well-house tomorrow and kill the damn thing with his bare hands.</p><p> </p><p>Despite his determination the night before, he still drags his feet while they head over there.</p><p>Georgie must be feeling the dread, too. Normally, he’d stick to Bill’s side. But just now he was walking by Eddie, holding on to the strap of his fanny pack with a tight grip. Bill looks a little put-out by this.</p><p>“Chins up, chins up!” Richie announces gleefully. He’d brought a bat, and he holds it over his shoulders. “Can’t beat up a clown with those attitudes.”</p><p>”Shut up, Richie.” Stan kicks at the back of his leg.</p><p>Richie turns and starts walking backwards ahead of them. “What? I’m hoping he honks when I smack him. That’d be a treat.”</p><p>Bill smiles at that but then he shakes his head, “What if h-he’s not in costume?”</p><p>Eddie leans forward so that he could look at Bill around Stan. “I’ll recognize him,” He assures.</p><p>“That’s the spirit!” Richie grins, “We should have done this a long time ago. When Eds and Georgie first saw him.”</p><p>Stan shakes his head, “This is a terrible idea.”</p><p>Eddie agrees, but Richie talks over them, “This is why we’re friends. None of you would get shit done without me.”</p><p>“Oh, I thought it was ‘cause I was cursed at birth,” Stan says flatly.</p><p>They arrive outside the house and the cheery mood dims somewhat.</p><p>“Was the house always this big?” Stan murmurs to himself.</p><p>Eddie can feel the tense grip Georgie has on his fanny pack. He pats him reassuringly, but it does nothing to calm him.</p><p>Eddie inhales deeply. One last shot. “I know you guys don’t believe me, but It isn’t human. And even if that sounds totally crazy, I need you guys to keep that in the back of your minds. So you don’t end up being It’s chew toy.”</p><p>Stan and Bill twitch at that, and they all become silent.</p><p>Richie tries to break the tension and starts to whine, “I didn’t even get to fill out my will, yet.”</p><p>“No one would want anything of yours,” Eddie replies purely on principle.</p><p>They all shake themselves, getting rid of some of the tension.</p><p>Then they step up to the door.</p><p>Stanley stays back, “Umm, maybe some of us should stay out here. Just in case something happens.”</p><p>Eddie looks at Stan, who looked pale, now.</p><p>Eddie remembers that Stan had killed himself rather than face It again, in the future.</p><p>“Good idea. Stan, you should stay out here with...” Eddie looks at all of them, then down at the shaking boy next to him, “Georgie.”</p><p>Georgie looked relieved, and Eddie waited for the protest from the others.</p><p>There was none.</p><p>Richie held the bat with both hands and Bill began to pull a kitchen knife out of his bag. They were both waiting for Eddie.</p><p>Eddie looks at Richie with some surprise. He hadn’t wanted to go in, in the original timeline.</p><p>Richie sees him looking. “I’ll go in with you,” Richie’s jaw is clenched, but his voice is airy when he speaks next, “Besides, we can share a hospital bed.”</p><p>Eddie nods firmly.</p><p>Taking a breath, they step into the house.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For some reason I could not get the image of Richie having a bat out of my head. Must come from the end of the first movie when he picks up a stick? Idk he has one now.<br/>Are you guys ready for everyone meeting Pennywise? Or everyone not meeting Pennywise?<br/>Time will tell!<br/>Let me know your thoughts in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Eleven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A lot of you are curious where the rest of the losers are. My answer is: They'll show up! Eventually!<br/>Eddie's number one priority is getting rid of It, since he can't protect everyone all the time.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All of them pause in the entry way.</p><p>The dust swirls around them, glittering in the sunbeams that peek through the holes in the walls. The place smelled musty and rotten, like the water from the well had seeped into foundation.</p><p>Eddie is the first to continue walking in, having been there many times before. He hears the others begin to follow his lead.</p><p>The house is quiet. Almost eerily so, like something had been waiting for them to get closer.</p><p>Eddie gestures for them to follow him, none of them having the nerve to speak and break the silence yet.</p><p>He heads straight for the room with the well, bypassing the other rooms. He wasn’t sure if they should go down there yet, if at all, but he also didn’t want the surprise attack to happen out of nowhere. If he just took them to the source, maybe Pennywise wouldn’t try to toy with them for too long.</p><p>He knew the longer they anticipated an attack, the more scared they would get. Their nerves were continuously building as they walked through the house.</p><p>Eddie walks into the room and freezes.</p><p>Seemingly not bothered, Richie and Bill continue past him.</p><p>“Whoa. Was this the well?” Richie pokes at the leftover bricks with his bat.</p><p>The well had collapsed in on itself. Only a hole and bricks were left behind.</p><p>Eddie stares at it. That wasn’t possible. He had been here several times before and the well was always intact. Why would Pennywise hurt Its own pathway?</p><p>When Richie shuffles too close, the floor underneath him groans sharply in protest and Bill quickly yanks him back.</p><p>“B-be careful. The floor is r-rotted through.”</p><p>Richie holds up his hands, “Yeah, okay. Let’s check the other rooms now.”</p><p>They leave that one, and Eddie trails behind them, mind still racked with questions.</p><p>Did the clown give up on the well house? Was that because Eddie had visited too much?</p><p>They check the whole first floor without any interruptions and decide to go up to the second. Bill makes sure to test his weight on the stairs first before waving them ahead.</p><p>Eddie makes his way cautiously down the hall, but he can see Richie’s shoulders relax in front of him, the bat falling to the side and no longer raised.</p><p>Eddie looks at Bill and sees the same calm demeanor. The house no longer scared them. Nothing was happening.</p><p>Their hesitation gone now; they swing open the few doors that are left. Eddie makes sure to point out the weak spot in the wood so they would step over it. The only thing they find is an old mattress left behind, dirty and probably used by the homeless a few times a year. Little else besides forgotten furniture is in the place.</p><p>Finally, they investigate the last room.</p><p>Empty.</p><p>It wasn’t here.</p><p>Richie uses the bat to stretch his shoulders out, turning from side to side, “Not even a squatter left. Should we check out the Barrens, then?”</p><p>Bill nods, “Yeah, m-maybe we can find something there.” He heads out of the room, Richie behind him.</p><p>Eddie begins to follow almost in a daze, but then he hears a voice from behind him, “Eddie?”</p><p>He turns quickly.</p><p>Betty Ripsom stands there and Eddie, he knows. He <em>knows</em> that this isn’t her. But she didn’t look monstrous. In fact, she looked like she had when he’d last seen her. Still in her school clothes, nice and neat with the cross hanging from her neck.</p><p>“Eddie.” She puts her hand up to her cross and clutches it. A pained expression steals over her face.</p><p>Underneath her hand begins to bleed, like her heart had exploded.</p><p>Distantly, Eddie could hear the door click shut behind him, but he doesn’t move. Couldn’t.</p><p>Despite the look on her face, her voice comes out normal, almost flirty, “I found Edward Kaspbrak staring at me today.”</p><p>She sounded like she was reminiscing. The blood drips to the floor in heavy drops, some hitting her white shoes.</p><p>“Katie told me I should be the one to go up and talk to him, since he was being so obvious.”</p><p>Eddie back up slowly towards the door. He grabs at the handle and turns it, but it doesn’t move.</p><p>“But I could never do that,” she shakes her head slowly, “I couldn’t work up the nerve.”</p><p>He stares at her and can’t look away, like a terrible car crash that he knew was going to happen.</p><p>“But I was in luck, he came over to me today! I thought he would ask me out, but he said something completely different.” Despite the joyous tone, tear begin to run down her face.</p><p>Eddie pulls on the door as hard as he could.</p><p>“He asked about the devil I was seeing in the mirror every night.”</p><p>Eddie shakes his head and blinks away his own tears. <em>I’m sorry, Betty.</em></p><p>Turning he wails on the door, crying out, “Richie! Bill! It’s in here!”</p><p>“How did he know about that? I assume he had seen the same thing.” The voice gets closer and his shoulders tense. Bringing his foot up, he kicks at the door.</p><p>He didn’t have the strength he was expecting to. He was a scrawny kid. He couldn’t kick it open.</p><p>“He really did give me the hope I needed. Maybe I can finally work up the nerve to forget about my mother’s preaching. Maybe, if I do that, I’ll be the one asking <em>him</em> out.”</p><p>Eddie tries to ignore the voice coming closer, but he soon realizes that trying not to focus on something did not have the intended effect.</p><p>“It’s surprising, how much braver I feel after talking to him.”</p><p>Eddie hears nothing on the other side of the door, which puts a true spike of fear in him. Where were Richie and Bill?</p><p>From directly behind him, “I’m ready to face the devil. I’ll banish him away.”</p><p>Turning, Eddie swipes his foot out and kicks her in the stomach. She stumbles back a few steps.</p><p>“I’m really sorry, Betty.” Eddie shakes his head and wipes the tears off his face, “I wish I could tell you in person, but the only thing I can do now is honor your death and not let a fucking monster mimic your body.”</p><p>Eddie gives up on the door and turns to face her fully, rage slowly taking over his fear.</p><p>Through her hair, the eyes that look at him are yellow. A grin spreads across her mouth.</p><p>Eddie hears screaming on the other side of the door.</p><p><em>No</em>.</p><p>Heart dropping, he grabs at the handle again. This time, it turns fully.</p><p>He throws the door open and rushes out, not bothering to look behind him again.</p><p>He doesn’t see Bill or Richie on the first floor as he heads down the stairs.</p><p>Where did they go? Where <em>were</em> they?</p><p>“Guys!?” He can’t help the fearful tone in his voice as he calls out.</p><p>He hears the creak on the stairs above him. Pennywise was following him.</p><p>He would normally run outside, but Richie and Bill could still be in here. He rushes into the room where Richie had found the missing poster a lifetime ago.</p><p>And there he was.</p><p>Richie turns with a confused expression, which changes as soon as he sees Eddie. His face mirrors his, panicked.</p><p>“Eddie? What’s wrong?” He hoists up his bat.</p><p>Eddie grabs his arm and tugs him off to the side. If Pennywise was going to come in, he didn’t want Richie to be the first thing It sees.</p><p>“Where’s Bill?”</p><p>Richie shakes his head, almost speechless, “I– He went looking for you. I don’t know.”</p><p>Eddie lets out a “<em>shit</em>” through his teeth.</p><p>They both hear the floor creak just outside the room. Eddie tenses up, gripping Richie’s arm tighter, and looks towards the door.</p><p>Richie shakes off Eddie’s grip only to immediately grab his hand and squeeze.</p><p>Eddie looks back over to him.</p><p>“The clown?” Richie mouths.</p><p>Eddie nods at him with wide eyes.</p><p>Richie narrows his eyes and hoists the bat up higher, taking one step towards the door.</p><p>Eddie’s hand tightens on Richie’s before he could get too far away and sever their connection.</p><p>Richie looks back at him, pale. His bravo was just for shown, then. He squeezes once, reassuringly, then lets go and takes another step towards the door.</p><p>Eddie inches himself closer, not wanting Richie to go at It alone.</p><p>Eddie sees Richie’s shoulders move as he takes in a deep breath, then he darts around the corner, weapon raised.</p><p>Eddie hears a bone-chilling giggle of happiness. He follows quickly behind Richie, so close that he couldn’t see around him.</p><p>Richie’s takes a moment, gaze darting around, then he lowers his shoulders. Eddie could now see past him.</p><p>There was nothing.</p><p>“Bill?” Eddie whispers.</p><p>Richie gives him a brief look over his shoulder and nods. Taking another breath he calls out, “Bill?”</p><p>“Richie,” Bill rounds the corner almost immediately and they both jump, “You f-found Eddie?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Richie swallows, “You didn’t see anything?”</p><p>Bill shakes his head, confused, “No. I was looking around upstairs, then I was in the room with the well. There was nothing.”</p><p>Richie doesn’t say anything for a minute. Eddie can’t see his expression. Then, he says, “Let’s go outside. Stan and Georgie are waiting.”</p><p>They make their way out, Richie leading and Bill falling behind them both. Eddie shuffles in between them in a daze.</p><p>He had heard It giggle at the end there. What was It planning? Where did It go?</p><p>For a second, Eddie doesn’t see Stan or Georgie outside. He begins to freak out, but then he sees movement and Stan is lifting himself off the ground next to Georgie. They were just sitting, that’s all.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Stan asks, walking up to them, “Was someone in there?”</p><p>Bill has trouble starting his sentence, so Richie talks first, “We didn’t see anything at first, but then Eddie...” Richie trails off, looking to him.</p><p>Eddie continues, “It was in the room upstairs. Locked me in there for a bit, then I got out and found Richie. Bill was looking for me.”</p><p>Bill nods, then says, “I looked upstairs and couldn’t find you. Then I looked around the first floor. I didn’t see anything.”</p><p>Stan flickers his eyes between all of them, then back to Richie, “And did you?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Stan’s gaze is piercing, “See anything?”</p><p>Richie hesitates and avoids Eddie’s gaze, “I didn’t, no. But I heard It.”</p><p>“What did you hear?” Stan grills.</p><p>“Someone walking around. We were hiding in the one room together.”</p><p>Stan just stares.</p><p>Eddie connects the dots that no one would say out loud. Richie and Eddie were hiding from the sound of footsteps, and Bill had just admitted to walking all over the place looking for him.</p><p>Eddie feels himself go numb. He hardly hears Stan continue his line of questions.</p><p>Bill and Richie try to recap the best they could. They looked through the whole house, found nothing. Then Eddie got lost. They looked for him, found him, and didn’t see anything else.</p><p>“I-I might have scared him out. W-walking around.”</p><p>Stan shakes his head, “There’s no way he made it out of there without us seeing him.”</p><p>Eddie holds back his <em>told you It wasn’t human.</em></p><p>Because his tone wasn’t the right kind of disbelief. It wasn’t “<em>oh no the monster snuck away</em>” it was...</p><p>“You didn’t see anything following Eddie?” Stan asks Richie.</p><p>“No, Eds got all the glory.”</p><p>Stan looks at Eddie and doesn’t say anything.</p><p>It was the tone of “<em>I don’t believe that there was something to be seen in the first place.</em>”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dun, dun, duuuun.<br/>Pennywise is a terrible clown.<br/>Leave your thoughts in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Twelve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Guess who's back!<br/>I honestly couldn't even begin to tell you how much has happened in my life from the last update to this one. Too much! It's terrible!<br/>However, this story has always been in the back of my head because I would hate leaving it unfinished.<br/>So!<br/>Here's an update. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are we sure that Eddie’s not seeing what he wants to see?” Stan says this quietly, as if trying to lessen the impact of his words.</p>
<p>Eddie, already feeling down, feels like the words were as loud as a nail in his coffin.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Richie punches Stan in the shoulder. And not the friendly “just messing around” punch, either. Eddie could hear the impact.</p>
<p>An offended expression comes over Stan’s face, he grips his arm and gives Richie a glare. His mouth opens, probably to yell at him, but Richie cuts him off.</p>
<p>“Tough talk for someone who didn’t want to go in.”</p>
<p>They stare at each other, having a silent fight with their eyes.</p>
<p>Stan’s gaze turns cold, “Listen, this could all just be paranoia, right? Eddie’s scared enough as it is.”</p>
<p>Richie bares his teeth, “Did paranoia take Betty Ripsom?”</p>
<p>“Did the magical clown?” Stan shoots back.</p>
<p>This was the beginning of It’s plan. Eddie clutches at his shirt so that his emotions don’t spring forth. If he fought with them now, they would all separate, like before. He was stuck, unable to argue.</p>
<p>But Stan had <em>believed</em> him, hadn’t he? He was the one who guessed that the clown took Betty. He was the one who agreed with the curfew.</p>
<p>It’s the fear. The fear that, if Eddie was right, then there really was a monster to be hiding from.</p>
<p>Eddie looks back towards the house and isn’t surprised to see a figure standing in the window.</p>
<p>Pennywise smiles wide, holding his hands in front of his eyes, then popping out from behind them. He was playing pee-a-boo. The same giggle as earlier rushes into Eddie’s ears, unheard by anyone else.</p>
<p>A dreadful feeling rolls over Eddie and makes him nauseous.</p>
<p>Bill quickly steps in between the two who were fighting and shoves at both of their chests, knocking them away from each other. “S-stop. I don’t know w-what Eddie saw, if anything. But w-we aren’t going to fight about it.”</p>
<p>The “if anything” part stings. Bill didn’t believe him, either.</p>
<p>Stan turns away from them and looks to Eddie. He studies his face for a moment, then the anger leaves his expression.</p>
<p>“Sorry.” He says, shortly.</p>
<p>Eddie’s gaze strays from Pennywise to Stan, then back again. It was almost more frightening to see no one standing in the window anymore.</p>
<p>Stan turns with a sour expression and begins making his way down the street. Not moving quite fast enough for him to be leaving, not alone.</p>
<p>Eddie wonders if he was heading for the Barrens, or if Stan was ready to just give up on this whole thing.</p>
<p>Bill looks back and gestures for them to follow. His movements are rigid, tense. He didn’t like when they fought. No one did.</p>
<p>Eddie starts to follow, and it’s not until he does that he realizes that Richie and Georgie weren’t going to go with Bill until Eddie decided.</p>
<p>Richie falls into step with him, moody. Georgie grabs onto his fanny pack like he did this morning.</p>
<p>Eddie sees Bill look back for Georgie, and Eddie was a little too far away to see his expression. But Bill looked bitter that Georgie wasn’t trying to catch up with him. Georgie himself doesn’t look up from the ground.</p>
<p>Once Bill turns back, Richie mutters, “Why would Stan even say that?”</p>
<p>Eddie thinks about it for a minute. If he were in Stan’s shoes, would he believe him? Definitely not. Everything lined up too cleanly, it sounded like Eddie was just paranoid.</p>
<p>But that meant that Richie...</p>
<p>“Richie,” Eddie peers up at him, serious, “Did you see It?”</p>
<p>He stares at Eddie, eyes searching.</p>
<p>“No, I didn’t see anything.” Richie claps a hand on Eddie’s shoulder, “But that doesn’t matter, does it? <em>You</em> obviously saw something.”</p>
<p>
  <em>I believe that you believe it. Does that make sense?</em>
</p>
<p>But did Richie believe that what Eddie saw in that house was a monster? Or was he just going to agree with him without question?</p>
<p>The blind faith in him was almost worse. Eddie wishes Richie could see this more objectively, without agreeing to every word he said.</p>
<p>He didn’t want Richie to believe <em>in</em> him. He just wanted Richie to believe him.</p>
<p>Eddie supposed he should have realized this from the start. This was the same thing Richie had been doing this whole time; favoring him. Telling him what he wanted to hear. Eddie has had that thought in the back of his mind, the day he realized that Richie liked him.</p>
<p>He feels Georgie tug on his fanny pack, “I have something to ask you.”</p>
<p>Eddie looks at him, waiting.</p>
<p>Georgie glances at Richie then half-whispers, “Later.”</p>
<p>Richie’s offended face almost makes Eddie crack into a smile, but it wasn’t quite enough to make him feel better.</p>
<p>It takes them another five minutes of walking for Eddie to realize that they <em>were</em> going towards the Barrens. Up ahead, Bill had finally caught up to Stan and is talking to him, gestures animated. Stan, however, didn’t move all that much, except to shake his head.</p>
<p>They finally slow down, letting everyone catch up to each other.</p>
<p>Once they’re all together, Stan says calmly, “We’ll check the Barrens. If the clown’s not there, maybe we’ll find something else.”</p>
<p>Eddie watches him, trying to find anything different in his tone or expression.</p>
<p>It was the same as always.</p>
<p>But he could still feel the tension in the air, so he doesn’t say anything.</p>
<p>They arrive at the Barrens, and Eddie is relieved when Richie tries to pull out a heroic move and tells Eddie that he could stay out of the dirty water with Georgie while they look.</p>
<p>Eddie thinks that Richie just wanted to vent at Stan some more without Eddie in hearing distance, but he didn’t mind. He knew what was in there already, it was just a matter of them finding it.</p>
<p>He spends the time with Georgie, who seemed to want to tell Eddie something, but every time he tried to open his mouth, he stopped out of fear that the others were too close and could hear him.</p>
<p>Eddie watches him closely after that, so he sees the younger boy’s expression morph into a strange one when Bill gets back.</p>
<p>Eddie stands over by him, letting him grip his bag again. He tries to analyze them, figure out what happened, but the brothers gave away no other clues.</p>
<p>“There’s nothing. I don’t think anyone has been down here in years.” Stan says this casually, pointedly not looking in Eddie’s direction.</p>
<p>Richie’s eyebrows crumple in dissatisfaction, but he doesn’t speak up.</p>
<p>Eddie looks back over to the drain opening and abandons them. He feels the gross squelch against his shoes as he climbs through the water and stops where he knows Betty’s shoe would have been. There’s nothing.</p>
<p>He rifles through the water with a stick for a bit more, but he knows it’s futile. Desperation almost makes him sink his hands into the gray water, but then a shadow blocks the entrance.</p>
<p>He looks up and sees Richie peering in with hunched shoulders. Eddie shakes his head a little and makes his way back out.</p>
<p>As he does, he sees Stan shoot Bill another look. Bill returns it with a half shrug.</p>
<p>Stan walks by Bill and puts an arm on Eddie’s back, surprisingly.</p>
<p>Stan mutters lowly, only for Eddie to hear, “It’s not that I don’t believe you about the stalker. And Betty. I just think you shouldn’t turn this into some fairytale when it’s a real problem.”</p>
<p>His second rejection stung more than Eddie thought it would. He was hoping that Stan would change his mind after the shoe, but not finding it seemed to only cement his opinion further.</p>
<p>Richie asks if they should search deeper into the tunnel, but Eddie rejects the idea. He didn’t want anyone to end up like Betty.</p>
<p>Eddie drags his feet as they all head back, last in the group. Richie looks behind him every few feet, to make sure Eddie didn’t just walk off. Georgie eventually pulls back and joins him once again.</p>
<p>At this point Eddie would need a better location for his breakdown. Underneath the covers at home was not secure enough when living with Sonia Kaspbrak.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Georgie hesitantly asks, “You don’t look too good.”</p>
<p>Eddie watches him for a moment with a small smile before deflecting and raising his eyebrows, “Are you calling me ugly?”</p>
<p>“No! It’s not that you look bad, well normally. I mean - you look fine. You’re very handsome!”</p>
<p>The way he says the last sentence sounds like he was copying what his mom would say to him when he dressed up.</p>
<p>“Eddie’s got an admirer!” Richie says, having slowed down and caught the end of the sentence. The cheerful tone sounded forced, trying to break the moody silence that had fell between them all.</p>
<p>Richie pats Eddie on the shoulder and stares Georgie down, “I guess I can see where you’re coming from. As long as you don’t look at this part of him.” He then proceeds to gesture to Eddie’s entire body.</p>
<p>Eddie snatches his waving hand and twists it.</p>
<p>“Ow, ow, I yield! You’re a handsome fellow! Very cute!”</p>
<p>“Ah–” Georgie holds his hands up, unsure of who to help.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, this how we hold hands. It’s romantic.” Richie says while smacking Eddie’s face with his other hand.</p>
<p>Eddie lets him go, satisfied with the normal banter. He sees Richie grin in relief, too.</p>
<p>They’re coming up on where they’re all about to separate. Eddie is slightly dreading walking back with Stan alone, but Georgie stops him with a tug.</p>
<p>Eddie slows his steps with Georgie and lets the rest of them all get further ahead.</p>
<p>“Can I tell you something?” Georgie whispers.</p>
<p>Everyone had gone on and there was no one else around, so Eddie wasn’t sure why he leaned down and whispered back, “What is it?”</p>
<p>He sees Georgie swallow, then continues, “Billy. I saw Bill last night.”</p>
<p>Eddie has an awkward moment where he thinks that Georgie’s about to tell him he walked in on Bill masturbating or something equally not-Eddie’s-to-explain, but then Georgie says one more sentence that makes Eddie’s blood run cold.</p>
<p>“He tried to drown me.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I promise the next update will be faster! Motivation is so hard to come by in these times.<br/>I hope you're all doing well.<br/>Let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Thirteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I forgot how much I love writing these guys, and I forgot how much I love your responses!<br/>Here's another chapter. I'm really happy, but no one in this chapter is!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Georgie!”</p>
<p>Eddie watches Georgie flinch at the voice, before schooling his expression and looking towards Bill.</p>
<p>“Come on, w-we’ve got to go.” Bill calls out, slightly too far ahead. He’s waiting at the place they usually branch off.</p>
<p>Desperately, Eddie hisses, “Georgie, wait.”</p>
<p>His command didn’t seem to matter, because Georgie looked like he was not inclined to follow Bill in the first place.</p>
<p>“What- I mean- It’s not...” Eddie tries to get all his sentences out at once and stumbles over his words. He takes a sharp breath and begins his sentence more evenly, “Tell me what happened.”</p>
<p>Georgie looks nervously over at the others, then turns back to him, “I was in the bath and Billy came in looking funny and pushed me under the water. I thought he was playing, but he wouldn’t let go. He didn’t stop until mama knocked on the door.” Georgie shook his head as if to get rid of the memories, “Everyone told me it was just a nightmare, but it <em>wasn’t</em>. I was awake!”</p>
<p>A horrified expression steals over Eddie’s expression and he sees Bill start to head over out of the corner of his eye, along with Stan and Richie.</p>
<p>Quickly, Eddie spits out, “I believe you. But it wasn’t Bill, do you understand?”</p>
<p>Georgie’s expression went from relief to confusion, “It <em>was</em>. I saw him!”</p>
<p>Fighting to keep some of the panic from his voice, he says, “No, it was the clown.”</p>
<p>Footsteps stop behind him. “What was the clown?” Bill’s question comes out flatly, no stutter, no emotion.</p>
<p>Georgie looks past Eddie’s shoulder and shrinks into himself.</p>
<p>Eddie turns to face Bill, but is just as lost as Georgie in what to say.</p>
<p>“What’s going on?” Stan walks up, brows furrowed. Richie pointedly shuffles closer to Eddie and away from Stan.</p>
<p>“Something about the clown?” Bill’s gaze burns into Eddie, then Georgie.</p>
<p>Feeling the pressure, Georgie speaks, “I was just talking about the bath...”</p>
<p>“Your n-nightmare?” Bill looks like he’s about to be offended, but he switches gears and scrunches his nose, “What does that have to d-do with anything?”</p>
<p>Richie stoops down a little, “You had a nightmare? About what?”</p>
<p>Georgie turns his chin up and finally decides to speak over Bill, “I wasn’t sleeping!”</p>
<p>Bill looks a little hurt by that, “You think I’d d-do that to you?”</p>
<p>Georgie’s eyes go wide and he backtracks, “No! You didn’t look right. Something evil took over your body. You were obsessed!”</p>
<p>“Possessed,” Stan corrects absently.</p>
<p>“Wait,” Richie waves his hands, “What did he do to you?”</p>
<p>“I d-didn’t–”</p>
<p>“Held me under the water! I was drowning.”</p>
<p>All of them lean back in surprise. Everyone glances at Bill, then back to Georgie.</p>
<p>Richie pats Georgie’s shoulder, “That’s rough, man. I once had this dream where–”</p>
<p>“I wasn’t sleeping!” Georgie’s desperate gaze is thrown to Eddie, “Eddie believes me!”</p>
<p>Now, everyone’s eyes are on him. Even Richie’s jaw loosens a little at that.</p>
<p>Eddie looks from person to person, all judging him with various degrees of shock, the only one he’s able to settle on comfortably is Georgie, who’s eyes plead with him to back him up.</p>
<p>Eddie’s mind repeats an endless loop of the same questions at himself: <em>Should he tell them? Would they believe him at this point? Should he explain?</em></p>
<p>His voice spills out, frantic, “I told you before, this thing isn’t human.”</p>
<p>It takes everyone about two seconds to put together what Eddie just said with what Georgie is claiming. When they do, the outcome looks worse than before. Stan’s eyes shift in annoyance, Bill’s back straightens in outrage, and Richie looks down at his shoes, expression unreadable.</p>
<p>Bill clenches his teeth in a silent rage, then decides to break the silence by asking in a firm voice, “Do you think that will make anything better? The clown being the one to drown him? He’s already having nightmares, now you’re telling him that there’s a m-monster after him?”</p>
<p>“It isn’t that- listen, I’ve seen It do things like this before...” Eddie’s words die on his tongue.</p>
<p>Bill looks furious and Stan annoyed, but it’s when Eddie sees Richie’s minuscule expression shift into disbelieve that Eddie feels a deep cold settle in his stomach.</p>
<p>Bill tugs Georgie towards himself, “There wasn’t any m-monster in our house last night.” His voice is flat, devoid of all emotion.</p>
<p>“Bill, please, I’m telling the truth. You have to believe me. It can do things like mimic others; I’ve seen it happen.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Stan laughs, harsh, “Have you considered that maybe some of your meds were supposed to be for your head?”</p>
<p>And that, that was cruel. Cruel in the way only those close to you can be, because they know exactly what to say that will hurt you most.</p>
<p>Stan’s expression flickers, and he looks as if he wants to take the words back, but before he can Richie steps forward and shoves him.</p>
<p>“No,” Eddie says hurriedly, “Richie, stop.” They can’t start fighting, not now.</p>
<p>He’s ignored, “What’s your problem?”</p>
<p>Stan stomps forward but doesn’t shove back, he just gets up in his face, “You’re so full of shit, Richie. You’re only agreeing with him because–!”</p>
<p>Richie rears his fist back and Eddie catches him by the elbow. This doesn’t stop Richie from spitting out, “Fuck you, Stanley.”</p>
<p>“Guys don’t start this,” Eddie pleads. He watches Bill step in and hold Stan back in a similar fashion.</p>
<p>
  <em>This is what It wants.</em>
</p>
<p>He couldn’t say that. He couldn’t say much of anything. His mind was racing, trying to find a way to keep them all together.</p>
<p>With a huff, Stan breaks away from Bill and begins heading down the road, towards his house. Bill steps in the opposite direction and grabs Georgie, about to do the same.</p>
<p>“No, I–!” Eddie lets go of Richie and reaches out, “Georgie!” He needed to explain. He had to protect him.</p>
<p>“You know what,” Bill whirls on him, jaw clenched. “Just keep all this c-clown shit away from him.” With that, he takes Georgie’s hand and starts up the road.</p>
<p>Eddie watches this in horror, about to call out again, when an ache flares up near his ribs. He bites back a gasp at the abrupt pain, soreness hitting his body suddenly.</p>
<p>Richie’s gaze swings over to him instantly, “Eddie?”</p>
<p>He shakes his head. He’d felt pangs from the spot before, he had chalked it up to some kind of PTSD from being stabbed and dying, but this wasn’t in his head. Still, he didn’t have time to worry about this, he had to warn Georgie, before he got eaten again.</p>
<p>He staggers forward after him but doesn’t go far.</p>
<p>Eddie takes in a ragged breath, looking from Bill and Georgie over to Stan, who was already halfway down the block on the opposite side, shoulders tense.</p>
<p>Georgie has Bill to look out for him, but Stan doesn’t have anyone. But Pennywise was currently after Georgie...</p>
<p>Taking in another shaky breath, he orders, “Richie, go after Stan. He shouldn’t be alone. Wait at his house, I’ll come pick you up.”</p>
<p>Eddie doesn’t stick around to listen to Richie’s protesting squawk. He rushes forward, determined to catch up to them before they reached their house.</p>
<p>“Bill! Bill, wait!” His call is ignored, and Bill continues marching forward with Georgie in his grip.</p>
<p>When Eddie gets within three feet, Bill turns and gives him a fierce glare. Georgie looks from Eddie to Bill, unsure.</p>
<p>“Bill, you–”</p>
<p>“I d-don’t want to hear it.” Bill sets his jaw.</p>
<p>Georgie reaches up and tugs Bill’s shirt hard, “If you don’t quit being mean, I’m telling mom.”</p>
<p>Bill’s face goes through one of betrayal, the unique kind where someone younger than you got a one-up, and Eddie is reminded all over again just how <em>young</em> they were.</p>
<p>Eddie straightens his shoulders, ignoring the weird throb at his center. He knows that he should give Bill time to cool down before they could make amends, but he had to warn them somehow.</p>
<p>“If you won’t listen to anything else, please listen to this! Even if you think I’m paranoid or schizo, or just... plain crazy, I need you to do something.”</p>
<p>Bill’s expression flickers, like he was reminded that Eddie was, in fact, a friend. He doesn’t say anything.</p>
<p>Eddie continues, “Don’t leave Georgie alone. There something after him, you need to protect him. And he’ll be able to protect you if you just stick together.”</p>
<p>Bill looks as if he wants to say something mean to that, but he takes one look at Georgie and all he says is, “He’s my b-brother. I’ll always protect him.”</p>
<p>The starry-eyed look that Eddie hadn’t noticed was missing returns to Georgie’s eyes, “I’ll protect you from the monster, too!”</p>
<p>Bill’s jaw is still set in disapproval that Georgie even thought of the monster, but enough of the protectiveness Bill feels is visible on his face that Eddie takes a step back. Bill would protect Georgie. Eddie had to trust that he would.</p>
<p>With that, Bill turns back and starts heading home, no longer gripping Georgie. Georgie gives Eddie a wave and a quick “bye!” Then he catches up and stays faithfully on Bill’s trail.</p>
<p>Eddie finds his hands trembling until he clenches them into fists. That was the best he could do with the situation. Quickly, he makes his way back to find Richie and Stan.</p>
<p>He turns corner after corner, and eventually catches up to Stan’s house. He sees a figure sitting down by the driveway, shoulders hunched forward.</p>
<p>“Richie,” Eddie jogs forward, then slows as the other boy picks his head up to look at him.</p>
<p>His nose had a stream of blood running from it and the bridge of it was beginning to swell.</p>
<p>Eddie stops a few feet away.</p>
<p>After a silent moment, Richie speaks, “You should see the other guy.” The joke falls flat.</p>
<p>Eddie takes a breath and holds out his hand for him to get up, “Come on, I’ll take you home.”</p>
<p>Richie lets him help him up, but shakes his head, “No, your house is a block away. I can manage on my own.”</p>
<p>Eddie sets his jaw, “I’m taking you home.”</p>
<p>Richie doesn’t protest further, just starts walking. After a minute or two, he asks, “This is for the partner system? You don’t want anyone to be alone.”</p>
<p>Eddie nods.</p>
<p>“Because you think the clown will go after someone if they’re alone.”</p>
<p>Another nod.</p>
<p>“A clown that can shapeshift.”</p>
<p>Eddie looks at him.</p>
<p>Richie stares back coolly, “How do you know if it’s the clown or not if it comes in different forms?”</p>
<p>Eddie tries to speak but finds he has to clear his throat first, “I don’t know. Anything that’s scary and trying to kill me is usually a safe bet.”</p>
<p>Richie gaze slides off him and he stares forward, giving a single nod. They’re silent the rest of the way back.</p>
<p>Once they reach the front of Richie’s house, he turns to him.</p>
<p>“Eddie, the thing Stan said about your meds–”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it, Rich. He said it ‘cause he was angry, I know he didn’t mean it.”</p>
<p>Richie’s face grew more and more conflicted as Eddie kept speaking. Eddie thought Richie was still geared up to fight Stan, but this wasn’t an angry expression, more of a sad one.</p>
<p>“Yeah, um, right.” Richie brings his hands up and starts to fiddle with them, he looks off to the side, “I know he was angry... I mean, Stan’s usually pretty logical.”</p>
<p>Richie has a hard time meeting his eyes, and Eddie was completely blank as to why.</p>
<p>Another throb of aching pain shoots through him and he holds back a wince. He really had to check that out when he got back home.</p>
<p>Finally, Richie meets his eyes and he starts talking hesitantly, “Eddie... do you think, maybe, that you might be... seeing things? Hearing things?”</p>
<p>Richie continues with a pinched expression, but it’s as if he’s speaking gibberish. Eddie hears a dull ringing that blocks him out.</p>
<p>
  <em>He thinks Eddie’s crazy.</em>
</p>
<p>Eddie wonders absently if the hole Richie just left in his chest is visible to anyone other than himself.</p>
<p>After all of this, after believing in him the entire time, he’s given up. No, he never believed in It in the first place, he just knew that Eddie believed. He just kept defending him against the others. Why?</p>
<p>What was Stanley about to say? ‘<em>You’re only agreeing with him because-!</em>’ Because of a crush? Because he <em>liked</em> Eddie? Was that all this was?</p>
<p>Richie rubs the back of his head and his eyes dart around uncomfortably. His voice fades back into Eddie’s ears slowly, “–I mean, I remember you saying that you heard voices in the drain, and that just can’t be good–”</p>
<p>Eddie grits his teeth. Richie must see something in his expression because his mouth snaps shut, and his eyes blow wide. He puts his hands up, as if to stop the words from leaving Eddie’s mouth.</p>
<p>But he’s too late. Even Eddie doesn’t know what he’s about to say when he opens his mouth. “Fuck you,” he snaps, and suddenly he’s angry - angry at Richie, angry at Pennywise, angry at how hard it is to get any of them to believe him, but mostly he’s angry at himself. The rage burns through him, “Why would you go along with anything I said in the first place? You think I need the meds my mom gives me? You think I need to be kept in line, kept under her control? So stuffed full of fake pills for fake illnesses that I can’t even step outside without fearing for my life? You think I’m <em>crazy</em>?”</p>
<p>And Eddie can see, if he could step away from himself for a minute, what this looks like. He never had any proof for his pills being fake, they had just believed him. Trusted him. But how do you trust someone who seems to be off the rails? Paranoid, defensive, the only one who has been seeing things and hearing things. If this <em>were</em> a normal situation, it would be in his best interest to be taking medication.</p>
<p>But Eddie was done with placebos. He didn’t want to see the expression on Richie’s face or on anyone else’s. If Eddie did manage to somehow get rid of It at this point, would it all be for nothing? Would he be all alone, his friends deeming him too insane to be with? He’d be stuck with his mom, who’d be more than happy to take care of him the rest of her life, keeping him locked away until he met someone like Myra, someone who shared her ideals of keeping him for themselves.</p>
<p>Eddie was stuck. Pennywise had lain out his plan meticulously and Eddie fell for every single trap. There was nothing he could do.</p>
<p>Turning, he sprints away, hardly hearing Richie call out for him. He wasn’t heading in any particular direction. He knew he didn’t want to go home; he was too overwhelmed. But there wasn’t anywhere else to go. So, he ran aimlessly, for as long as his body could stand it.</p>
<p>Finally, his legs give out and his knees skid on the pavement. He doesn’t notice the pain that should be there, but he does feel the throb of what feels like his heart breaking, but it was just below that.</p>
<p>Eddie reaches down and lifts his shirt, finding what looked like a bruise on his midriff. But it didn’t feel like a bruise.</p>
<p>He puts his hand over it and has a sudden clarity. This is where Pennywise stabbed him.</p>
<p>The incessant gnawing stops, leaving him achingly hollow. He frowns down at himself, wondering. Dropping his shirt, he sits there and can’t find it in himself to cry.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yay, we're finally at the cusp of It's plan! Which is terrible for Eddie, and for everyone in this story. Everything's coming together, but in like a horrible way.<br/>Let me know what you guys think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Fourteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Eddie's back to square one! Or, like, square negative one.<br/>He's having a bad time. Hopefully, it will get better.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was funny how even though everything had changed so drastically, Eddie still found himself in situations that were so familiar.</p>
<p>“No friends, huh?” Greta gives Eddie a fake pout and pops her gum at him. She shoots her dad a look, making sure he hadn’t heard.</p>
<p>Eddie feels his nostrils flare before he sets his jaw and ignores her.</p>
<p>“Whatever,” she ‘<em>hmphs</em>’ and leans back in her chair, uninterested. She snatches the magazine she had been reading violently, the snap of the pages almost her version of a “fuck you.” Guess Eddie wasn’t getting the placebo information from her this time around, but that might be because half of his order was for Sonia’s medicine cabinet, not his pill case.</p>
<p>Eddie sighs, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He’s tired.</p>
<p>The night before, Eddie had found that the bruise on his center had not stopped throbbing. Eddie had slept fitfully through the aches and woken up exhausted late into the morning. The pain had eventually died down, but that didn’t stop Eddie from worrying about it.</p>
<p>The anxious feeling of not seeing or contacting any of the Losers for a sixteen-hour period didn’t help him feel any better. He wasn’t sure he’d be welcome to check on them, wasn’t sure if he wanted to face them even if he was.</p>
<p>Maybe he should just follow them around secretly, make sure they were safe. But Eddie wasn’t able to follow that many people at once. And he didn’t want to be accused of becoming a stalker himself.</p>
<p>Mr. Keene comes back with a bag as Eddie muses to himself. He hands it over, “Here you go, Eddie. Some of that Lunesta is in there as well. Your mom put it in her requests.”</p>
<p>Eddie nods absently, stuffing the pill bottles in his pockets and throwing the bag away. He makes sure to give Greta a cool look as he makes his way out, but she doesn’t look up from her magazine.</p>
<p>Eddie steps into the bright sunlight, squinting. It was already getting hot enough that the cars parked ahead had heat waves coming off of them.</p>
<p>It takes Eddie a moment to realize whose car he was staring at, and when he does, he stops short. His sneakers grind into the pavement as his body braces himself to run.</p>
<p>Henry Bowers hops out of the driver’s seat, looking around. Eddie quickly dives behind a bush before he’s seen, heart starting to pound.</p>
<p>Henry seemed to be alone, his two – or three, depending – buddies that were usually with him missing. He was looking around still, his eyes swinging over towards him, making him duck. Jeez, it was like Henry didn’t have any other hobby besides bullying.</p>
<p>When Eddie looks once more, Henry is talking with one of his goons, Patrick, who Eddie has mixed feelings about being alive still. Patrick is shaking his head and gesturing down the alley.</p>
<p>He watches them, crawling backwards slowly. If he could just sneak away, they would never know he was there.</p>
<p>His hand touches something warm and he turns quickly in alarm, the other person doing the same.</p>
<p>“Ah!” Eddie gapes.</p>
<p>Mike puts his hand up to his mouth, “Be quiet.”</p>
<p>Eddie can do nothing but nod stupidly, mouth still hanging open. Mike had a cut on his brow that was bleeding slightly, but other than that he looked perfectly healthy. He looked just as Eddie remembered. Despite the situation, joy sprouts in his gut. Mike was here!</p>
<p>Would Mike believe Eddie about It? Instinct tells him yes, since Mike had grown up around people who believed something was off about Derry. Should Eddie try to tell him about It? That was a harder question to answer. Eddie had <em>just</em> lost everyone’s trust that he had told in this timeline. He couldn’t lose Mike, too.</p>
<p>Mike glances over at Eddie with a strange expression. Eddie had stared too long, apparently.</p>
<p>He looks away and peaks above the bush. Henry and Patrick were still there. They must be after Mike, then. But where was–</p>
<p>“Gotcha.” A hand grabs onto the back of Eddie’s collar and drags him out of his hiding place, before tossing him onto the pavement. Mike lands next to him a moment later.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Belch calls out roughly, “I found him! He’s got the sissy boy with ‘im.”</p>
<p>Henry and Patrick look over sharply. Henry grins a nasty grin and begins heading in their direction.</p>
<p>Mike grimaces next to him, pushing himself up, “I’ve got my bike around the backside. If we can get to it, we can get away.”</p>
<p>Well, there was no hesitating with a plan like that, especially since Eddie’s pretty sure Belch had heard it, even though he hasn’t processed it yet. Eddie pushes himself up quickly and elbows Belch in the crotch.</p>
<p>He scrambles to his feet as Belch hunches forward with a groan and takes off, Mike’s footfalls sounding behind him. They round the corner and reach Mike’s bike just as Henry comes around the other side.</p>
<p>Mike grips the handles of his bike, but he doesn’t have time to get on and take off with Henry in front of them.</p>
<p>Henry looks like he knows this as well, his footsteps slowing and turning into more of a swagger.</p>
<p>“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Henry shows both rows of his teeth in more of a snarl than a grin, “I think it’s time for a little two-for-one lesson, don’t you?”</p>
<p>Mike throws a look over his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Ah! Belch is waiting on the other side for you to run again. I told you to get out of my town.” Henry’s voice grows more serious at the end.</p>
<p>Eddie steps forward. If Belch and Patrick were behind them, the easiest way to go was through Henry. Eddie wasn’t about to cower in front of him, not after seeing just how unstable he was in the future.</p>
<p>Henry must see something in Eddie’s expression, because he pauses for a moment before a meaner look steals over his features.</p>
<p>His arm whips out, and the knife makes a clicking noise as it’s revealed.</p>
<p>Eddie stands his ground, staring at the blade. If it came anywhere near him, he’d take it and stab Bowers again. More than once this time. The coppery taste of adrenaline fills his mouth.</p>
<p>Then, Henry’s head snaps down, a solid <em>thunk</em> sounding.</p>
<p>The object bounces off Henry and hits the floor, rolling towards Eddie and Mike.</p>
<p>Eddie looks down at it in shock.</p>
<p>A can of chicken noodle soup.</p>
<p>A grin almost forms on his lips from the absurdity, but Mike, ever the more logical one, grabs Eddie’s hand and pulls him towards his bike.</p>
<p>Henry snaps out of his stupor and turns around, “I’ll kill you, you fucking turd.”</p>
<p>Eddie hops onto the pegs of Mike’s bike and grips his shoulders, before looking ahead to see the commotion.</p>
<p>Ben, with a bag of groceries in his hand, quickly tosses another can and hits Henry in the lip. Henry grabs at his face in pain, blood beginning to drip down his chin. Ben then gets on his own bike and pumps the pedals as fast as he can.</p>
<p>Ben waves them towards him with a “follow me!”</p>
<p>Mike picks up speed, passing Henry with a held breath, and then they’re off, wind whipping Eddie’s hair back and forth as he turns to make sure Henry wasn’t following them.</p>
<p>Luckily, Ben’s house wasn’t far, since Eddie was positive that Henry had gotten into his car to chase them just now.</p>
<p>They ride up his driveway and toss the bikes down, the adrenaline making them run into the house despite them having already reached safe ground.</p>
<p>Ben and Mike take a second to catch their breath. Finally, Ben turns to them with a grin, “That was close, huh?”</p>
<p>Eddie is overcome with happiness and left speechless. Mike gives his own grin, “That soup can must have hurt. Made him bleed, at least.”</p>
<p>Ben looks down at his grocery bag with dismay, “Man, what a waste, though.” After a second of thinking, Ben beckons them forward, heading towards his room, “You guys can hang out here until you’re sure Henry’s passed by, but just a heads up, I’ve got a friend over.”</p>
<p>Ben pushes open his door while calling out, “Sorry, I could only bring you one soup, I had to use the other two against Bowers.”</p>
<p>Eddie is behind Mike, but that doesn’t stop his heart from leaping with joy from recognizing the voice that replies, “Oh that’s okay, I only needed one anyway.”</p>
<p>Ben nods as Eddie finally pushes all the way into the room.</p>
<p>Beverly, with her hair cut short once again, gives them a polite smile, “I take it Bowers was messing with you guys, too?”</p>
<p>After a pause, Mike starts to describe what had just occurred while Eddie forces himself to stop staring and studies their surroundings.</p>
<p>The room looked different from when Eddie was over in the first timeline. The newspaper clippings were still up, which made Eddie smile a little, but Ben’s bed was pushed over to the side. And Bev was currently sitting on a pile of bedding on the floor, set up like a sleepover. In fact, she was in the most casual set of clothes that Eddie had ever seen her in. She had obviously spent the night.</p>
<p>Eddie blinks a couple times at that, looking over at Mike. Mike side-eyes him warily, having come to the same conclusion. His expression looks slightly awkward, unused to having to deal with girls at this age. Eddie’s remains confused, as this had definitely never happened the first time around.</p>
<p>“Oh, I haven’t done introductions.” Ben breaks the silence, “Bev, this is Eddie and...”</p>
<p>“Mike.”</p>
<p>“And Mike. Mike, Eddie, this is Beverly.”</p>
<p>They all wave at each other, and Eddie becomes almost giddy at how this worked out. Way to go, Ben.</p>
<p>Bev looks at Mike, “You don’t go to our school, right?”</p>
<p>“No,” Mike agrees, “I’m homeschooled.”</p>
<p>Bev swings her gaze over to Eddie, “You do, though. I’ve seen you around. We used to have P.E. together before… well.” She cocks her head and grins.</p>
<p>Before Sonia had taken him out of it. Eddie hadn’t remembered that, actually. He had no reason to look over at the girl’s side of the gym.</p>
<p>Ben steps in to fill the silence, “My mom is gone for the week at my aunt’s place, so I’ve got the house to myself.” Ben puffs his chest out proudly.</p>
<p>Mike’s eyebrows raise, but he doesn’t comment. That would explain the sleepover, then.</p>
<p>Mike stares at the wall for a bit before he steps over to see the clippings on the wall more closely. He begins to study them.</p>
<p>“Oh, those are old events that have happened in Derry.” Ben steps over the blankets to get closer, “It’s strange, something terrible seems to happen every twenty-seven years.” He sounded eager to explain this to someone else. Bev stands up, but doesn’t go closer, probably having been explained all of this before.</p>
<p>Mike nods along, “My grandfather thinks this town is cursed.”</p>
<p>Eddie’s ears perk up at the familiar words, and he watches as Ben’s eyes light up, his gaze swinging over to Eddie, “The curse! Did you ever find out anything about stopping it?”</p>
<p>It had been so long that Eddie had forgotten that he had told Ben about the curse on Derry.</p>
<p>Eddie’s mouth opens and closes. For a moment, he imagines telling them everything. But the words get halfway up his throat before getting stuck. In the aftermath of his breakdown the day before, Eddie couldn’t handle another disbelieving look.</p>
<p>He tries to muster a smile, but falls short, “Well... I’ve found a few things…”</p>
<p>Mike tilts his head, and when Eddie doesn’t continue, he starts speaking again, “My grandfather says that all the bad things that happened in this town are because of one thing. An–”</p>
<p>Eddie continues with him, “-Evil thing that feeds off the people in Derry.” They stare at each other, before beginning to smile in understanding.</p>
<p>Bev stands up straight, “It really does seem like there’s something more going on, don’t you think? The bad feeling is just in the air here.”</p>
<p>Eddie clutches the end of his shirt in his hands, attempting to be brave once more, “I might have a couple ideas–”</p>
<p>His hands spasms once, and he releases his shirt, thinking he had held it too tightly. Then, he flinches at a sudden pain burning on his palm. It was a quick stabbing feeling, over quickly.</p>
<p>Wincing, he brings his hand up to look at.</p>
<p>He gets the exact opposite feeling of when he noticed the bruise on his torso. That was dread, while this, this was <em>elation</em>.</p>
<p>He holds his hand out to the light and watches it reflect against the scar running down his palm. The Loser’s scar. The promise to defeat Pennywise. It had come back.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yaaay, the rest of the Losers are here! Now if only Eddie could just gather them all at once...<br/>Hope you guys are staying safe out there!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Fifteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yay, the final half of the Losers are here and ready to party!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Eddie...?”</p>
<p>Eddie blinks at his palm, then looks up at a concerned Bev, uncomprehending. She looks at the scar on his hand, frowning slightly, but doesn’t ask. She reaches out to put her own hand on Eddie’s shoulder.</p>
<p>Eddie glances quickly at her palm, but of course there was nothing. This was not the group he had fought with the first time around.</p>
<p>“You okay?”</p>
<p>Eddie looks at her, then over at Mike and Ben, who also look concerned. His gaze stops on the newspaper clippings on the wall.</p>
<p>A bunch of headlines jump out at him, ranging from fires to mass shootings to missing children. This is how it would be in Derry if no one stopped It.</p>
<p>When Eddie had tried to tell the other Losers the truth, they had shot him down. But Eddie had never tried to tell them about him being from the future.</p>
<p>Now, Eddie knows that keeping things to himself doesn’t work out. Maybe he should just come right out with the truth.</p>
<p>Eddie closes his hand into a fist, determined. Taking a deep breath, he begins, “Okay, so, what would you guys say if I told you I was from the future and that I know exactly how to stop the evil thing in Derry?” He attempts to meet their eyes, chickens out for half a second, then after a moment of silence adds, “Theoretically.”</p>
<p>Eddie takes a moment to watch the complete lack of comprehension on Ben’s face, before Mike starts talking.</p>
<p>“From the future...?” Mike furrows his brows, “And you were sent back here to stop the evil?”</p>
<p>Eddie had no idea why he was sent back. “Yeah. Theoretically.”</p>
<p>Bev walks over and sits on the edge of the bed, “What sent you back?”</p>
<p>Eddie wasn’t expecting this to be their first string of questions. “I don’t know.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean you don’t know? What were you doing right before you were sent back?”</p>
<p>“I...” Eddie clutches at his center, which had started a slow burn again, “I died.”</p>
<p>There’s a minute of silence, as if they all were mourning Eddie’s old life. Or maybe they were trying to find a polite way to call bullshit, he couldn’t be sure.</p>
<p>Ben speaks up tentatively, “Do you know the saying, ‘your life flashes before your eyes?’ Y’know, when you die?”</p>
<p>Eddie stares at nothing. He remembers the white-hot pain and the fading consciousness. His center gives a hard throb, as if echoing his thoughts.</p>
<p>“Are you okay? You’ve gotten all pale.” Mike stoops low to see his downturned face.</p>
<p>“It’s nothing.”</p>
<p>He crosses his arms and gives Eddie a suspicious stare.</p>
<p>Eddie takes another breath and looks over at Ben, “Is that what you think is happening? The life-flashing thing, I mean.”</p>
<p>Mike continues to look at him, “Theoretically.”</p>
<p>“Huh?”</p>
<p>“You forgot to add it, this time, is all.”</p>
<p>Eddie feels as if he’s on thin ice, not knowing when what he’s saying will be too much for them to believe.</p>
<p>Ben waves his hands, “To be honest, I don’t think so. If you’re trying to stop the evil and changing things, that means the future would be different. And you wouldn’t end up dying in the first place.”</p>
<p>Bev looks over at him, “Then why bring it up?”</p>
<p>“Well, it might be something similar. It sounds like it’s connected to him dying, at least. How far into the future are you from?”</p>
<p>Eddie blinks, “Twenty-seven years.”</p>
<p>Everyone’s eyes go wide at that. Ben’s legs give out and he plops next to Bev, “Damn. And what brought you to this time, then? Anything significant?” As he’s asking, his face changes to one of realization, “You had said, that one time after the library, that there was someone after Bill’s younger brother, didn’t you?”</p>
<p>Eddie nods while Bev asks, “Bill. Bill Denbrough?”</p>
<p>“Yes. Georgie, Bill Denbrough’s younger brother. I was sent back to when Georgie was about to be killed.”</p>
<p>Ben nods absently, putting the pieces together in his head, “And that was the first person to go missing in your timeline?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>Mike stares at him, face unreadable. Then, “Killed. Killed by what? What is the evil thing?”</p>
<p>“It’s - ah, It’s a monster. Takes the shape of your greatest fears. It goes by Pennywise, sometimes, when It’s a clown.”</p>
<p>“Clown?” Mike puts his hand up and mimics honking his nose, “Clowns aren’t scary.”</p>
<p>Ben looks nervously over to him, disagreement on his face. Bev rubs her arms, also disagreeing with a shake of her head.</p>
<p>Eddie looks at him, “This one is. Trust me.”</p>
<p>Mike searches his eyes for a moment, then his expression settles, and he nods once, firmly.</p>
<p>Ben stands and points at the newspapers, “Then, I think you’ve already done a lot, Eddie.” When Eddie just stares, Ben continues gesturing at the wall, “A lot of people usually go missing, or a mass-murder ends up happening. Basically, the town’s population always drops.” Ben looks over at Eddie, “But the numbers haven’t got as high, now that you’re here.”</p>
<p>Eddie’s stomach had begun to hurt, thinking about It trying mass-murder if he couldn’t get anyone else, but Ben’s sincerity in his last sentence washes the feeling away.</p>
<p>Eddie’s mouth opens, but nothing comes out. He feels tears begin welling in his eyes.</p>
<p>“How can we defeat It, then?” Mike asks.</p>
<p>Eddie’s not sure how much of what he said got through to them. But they’re at least taking this seriously. He felt better, now, knowing that he wasn’t alone in this.</p>
<p>“That’s the thing,” Eddie clears his throat around the emotions, “It was you who found the ritual last time, Mike.”</p>
<p>Mike looks surprised at that, so Eddie takes a deep breath, and tells them everything he could remember.</p>
<p>At some point, Ben stops him, “Wait, wait. There were more of us after It? Your friends, right? Where are they now?”</p>
<p>“They, uh,” Eddie looks down at his feet, “They think I’m crazy.”</p>
<p>A shift happens in the room, almost a defensive one. Bev sits up straight, jaw firm.</p>
<p>“It’s just–” Eddie groans slightly into his hands, “What do I <em>do</em>? I can’t convince them at all.”</p>
<p>Ben pats his arm gently, “Why don’t you start with sitting down?” Ben leads him over to the bed.</p>
<p>Mike sighs, “Well, I don’t know if I can find that ritual again. Sounds like I was searching for it for years. But I might be able to dig up something.”</p>
<p>Bev smiles, “Yeah, if that doesn’t work, we can just play whack-a-mole with It again.”</p>
<p>A grin steals over Eddie’s face and he lets out a half-laugh.</p>
<p>When he sits, he hears the pills in his pocket rattle. Swearing, he pulls them out, “My mom is gonna kill me. I wasn’t supposed to be out this long.”</p>
<p>Ben reads the bottle over his shoulder, “Lune-sta...?”</p>
<p>Eddie stands and shoves the bottles back into his pocket, “I was supposed to just pick up the medicine and go back home. She’s gonna give me so much shit.”</p>
<p>Mike looks at the clock, “I can give you a ride, get you there before the sun goes down, at least.”</p>
<p>Eddie nods, “Thank you, Mike. I guess I’ll see you all tomorrow? We can start everything then.”</p>
<p>Bev stands as well, “Yes. Make sure you guys stay safe and try to stick together when you can. I’ll be with Ben most of the time, so we should be fine.”</p>
<p>Ben looks at her with heart eyes, and nods.</p>
<p>Eddie wonders how long he should wait and get to know them all again before asking Bev about her situation at home.</p>
<p>Eddie walks over to Mike, “Let’s go, then. It’s better to not be out when it gets dark.”</p>
<p>They say their goodbyes once more, and head out. Mike picks up his bike and they start walking it down to the road before Mike stops, “I’ll come and pick you up tomorrow, too. You have your own bike, right?”</p>
<p>Eddie nods, “Where are we all meeting?”</p>
<p>Mike looks back at the house, “Here, I thought. Hold on, let me check.”</p>
<p>He walks back, abandoning his bike at the doorway once again.</p>
<p>Eddie watches Mike head inside. He wonders if Mike believed him completely, or if he was really good at humoring him. The stories he was told growing up probably swayed him to Eddie’s side, but Eddie could never be sure. He’d thought Richie believed him, too, and look how <em>that</em> turned out.</p>
<p>From behind him, he hears exaggerated heavy breathing.</p>
<p>Tensing, he turns around.</p>
<p>Pennywise stands too close for comfort. Leaning over him, drool prominent, It begins to giggle.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, the first thing Eddie feels is relief. If It was here, It wasn’t out hunting the others. Then the fear kicks in, as it should have been.</p>
<p>Eddie scrambles backwards, never taking his eyes off of the clown. This wasn’t what he was used to, Pennywise usually loved making an entrance, not sneaking up. How long had It been there?</p>
<p>He feels himself go pale. It could have easily killed him just then, without Eddie even realizing it.</p>
<p>Eddie continues backing up but stops. He doesn’t want to lead It into Ben’s house.</p>
<p>But Pennywise didn’t follow him, still back where Eddie had stood.</p>
<p>Eddie waits, staring. He braces himself to run, or just shout. Houses were all around him and Mike would be back any minute. This was probably the worst place Pennywise could have picked if It were intending to attack.</p>
<p>But the clown does nothing, not even moving. It’s yellow eyes seem to be analyzing Eddie. Then, they move down to look at his chest.</p>
<p>Pain, sudden and sharp, bursts in his center, taking his breath away. Normally, it was a throbbing pain, but this one stays, constant. Eddie can’t stop himself from hunching forward, but he makes sure to keep his watering eyes on It.</p>
<p>Eddie was almost positive that this pain came from Pennywise, but It’s expression wasn’t one of satisfaction, like he had been expecting. In fact, Eddie would say It looked pissed, like Eddie had just offended It.</p>
<p>He digs his teeth into his lip, breath coming out in short bursts through his nose, “I’m gonna kill you. You- you fucking clown.”</p>
<p>Pennywise’s expression does not fade, but he does step closer.</p>
<p>Well. That was a bad idea.</p>
<p>He gulps in fear and starts to choke when it went down the wrong pipe. He starts coughing, the rough movements making the pain worse.</p>
<p>Yeah, sounded like his life summed up so far.</p>
<p>Taking in a full breath, he screams, trying to get someone’s attention. He screams again, then tries calling for Mike. No one comes out.</p>
<p>When It hunted for real, no one noticed him.</p>
<p>Frustrated, he crouches down and picks up one of the fancy rocks that lined Ben’s driveway. He holds it up, threatening.</p>
<p>A smile begins to appear on It’s face. It was probably thinking Eddie was an idiot, thinking a rock would do anything.</p>
<p>And yeah, Eddie knew a rock would just bounce off of the stupid clown, but that wasn’t what he wanted it for. His hand begins to feel warm, and the pain in his center lessens a bit.</p>
<p>Pulling his arm back and praying he had good enough aim, he launches it forward, past Pennywise’s shoulder and into the window of the car behind him.</p>
<p>Eddie listens to the alarm go off. Ben’s neighbors were going to be pissed.</p>
<p>“Eddie!”</p>
<p>Mike skids the tires of his bike behind him, and Eddie glances at him. Mike looks ahead, and Eddie can already tell by his expression that he wasn’t looking at Pennywise. The clown is gone.</p>
<p>Eddie’s struggling with how to explain the car to him, but Mike just holds out his hand for him to take.</p>
<p>Eddie blinks at it for a moment, and Mike says, “Let’s get out of here before you’re caught.”</p>
<p>As he says this, he hears the door to the house next door open and Eddie jumps up on the bike, gripping Mike’s shoulders and feeling the strain as Mike tries to get the bike to move as fast as he could.</p>
<p>They get all the way down the road before Mike tells him that he needed directions to Eddie’s house. Eddie gives them, and they make it all the way back to Eddie’s without incident.</p>
<p>Eddie hops down, then looks back at Mike. Mike doesn’t say anything but seems to be waiting for an explanation. Eddie hesitates, then says, “When It has you cornered, the best way to scare It away is to get someone’s attention. Someone It doesn’t want to be seen by.”</p>
<p>A look of realization blooms on Mike’s face.</p>
<p>Eddie hopes that Mike won’t be hunted too. Pennywise seemed to stay away from the other Losers, but Eddie wasn’t sure if that were temporary just so It could isolate them all. But telling someone to protect themselves when they had never seen the evil in the first place was hard.</p>
<p>Before Eddie can form a sentence, Mike looks at him seriously, “Stay safe, we’ll figure out how to stop It soon.”</p>
<p>Eddie nods as Mike puts his feet on the pedals once more, about to take off, “You stay safe, too. The best tactic is to run and scream if you encounter anything.”</p>
<p>Mike’s mouth quirks into a grin, “Run and scream, yeah. That’s probably just going to be my normal reaction.” His gaze lifts and looks past Eddie, “I gotta go now. See you tomorrow, Eddie.”</p>
<p>Eddie waves, then turns to see Sonia peeking out the door at them. Sighing, he makes his way inside.</p>
<p>“Sorry, ma. I got caught up talking to my friends.”</p>
<p>Sonia makes a disapproving face, likely wondering when Eddie had made friends with the home-schooled boy.</p>
<p>To appease her, and also escape a lecture, he pulls out the pills from his pocket and hands them to her, “I got everything, though.”</p>
<p>Sonia looks at them, considering, then she just says, “Dinner will be ready in half an hour, I’ll call you down once it’s done.”</p>
<p>Relieved, Eddie makes his way upstairs quickly. Once he enters his room, he pulls open his drawer and grabs his notebook.</p>
<p>He flips it open, to the pages where he had begun writing out the timeline. He had to update it, now, since so much has changed. He rubs the last words he had written.</p>
<p>
  <em>I don’t want to be alone.</em>
</p>
<p>He wasn’t, now. He almost was, when the first half of the Losers hadn’t believed him. Eddie wonders if Pennywise had realized that that was his fear. One giant throb goes through his center, and he stands up quickly.</p>
<p>A creak behind him has him whirling around, only to see Sonia standing there with his door open. He hadn’t heard her even come up the stairs.</p>
<p>“Eddie-bear, did you want your meat cut up into squares?”</p>
<p>Eddie blinks at her, “I guess.” She didn’t usually ask, just did it.</p>
<p>She glances at his notebook, closed behind him, before smiling and closing the door.</p>
<p>Eddie waits for her footsteps to fade downstairs. He waits a little longer to make sure she settled into the kitchen. Then, he gets up and peels off his shirt. He stands in front of his mirror and stares at himself, frozen stiff. His entire torso had a bruise, darker than before, as if he had been beaten violently. He feels a small twinge of pain when he takes the deepest breath he could manage, but otherwise doesn’t feel the ache from earlier.</p>
<p>He presses on it, then tries rubbing it, as if this were just body paint in some kind of weird joke. It doesn’t hurt when any pressure is applied like a normal bruise.</p>
<p>After a minute, he drops his hands. What would be a logical explanation for this? There wasn’t one.</p>
<p>And when something didn’t make sense, Pennywise was usually involved.</p>
<p>Was this a long-term fear effect? Was Eddie afraid of what killed him? Well, yeah, but this wasn’t the best way to scare him. And why had Pennywise looked so offended?</p>
<p>Eddie closes his eyes and places his hand over his center once more. This was the exact place he was stabbed, directly in the center. He bets the bruise has formed on his back as well.</p>
<p>So, what did that mean?</p>
<p>He couldn’t know for sure, but he was sure that nothing good could come from it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What a mystery. Several things are starting to gear up again.<br/>But finally, some hope for Eddie, people are starting to believe him!<br/>With this hope last though? Who knows!<br/>Let me know your thoughts in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Sixteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've re-analyzed the outline of this story and I think it'll actually be around 27 chapters, so I'll move it to that for now. I didn't realized how much I could draw out what's happening.<br/>Speaking of that, this chapter is my longest one so far, I think.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the first time in a while, Eddie’s eyes snap open with fear. He sits up quickly, taking in his surroundings before calming down, nightmare already fading from his memory.</p>
<p>He was in his room, but he couldn’t remember going to bed. The last thing he remembers was writing in his notebook after dinner...</p>
<p>He looks over at his desk and has a short panic when he realizes the notebook is gone. He scrambles up, moving so fast that he makes himself dizzy, swaying a bit. Before he can start tearing apart his desk to find the notebook, he sees it lying on the ground.</p>
<p>Sighing, he picks it up. He must have knocked it over when he fell asleep. He puts it back safely in the drawer and gets dressed for the day. It was almost noon already; he had slept for a long time. He obviously hadn’t brushed his teeth either, his mouth tasted nasty.</p>
<p>After a quick trip to the bathroom, he heads downstairs. He hears Sonia humming to herself. When she sees him, she exclaims, “Eddie! Are you feeling alright? I had to move you to your bed last night, you were slouched over your desk. That just can’t be good for your back.”</p>
<p>Eddie couldn’t remember that at all. He must have been really tired. “I’m fine, momma. I’m gonna go hang out with some of my friends today.” He makes sure to say it as a statement, not a question, since he’s made that mistake so many times in his life.</p>
<p>She doesn’t seem to be in one of her moods, so she only asks for a departing kiss and reminds him to refill his pill case, so that he wouldn’t forget to take them.</p>
<p>He smiles and nods along, which was the best way to deal with her. He hadn’t actually taken a pill since his jump back in time. He would have to remember to refill the case, though, lest she felt like snooping one day.</p>
<p>The smile freezes on his face when the pain starts up again. If this got any worse, maybe he’d take an aspirin.</p>
<p>Eddie makes his way outside quickly after that, not wanting Sonia to suspect anything. Before he even walks towards his bike, he sees Mike waiting at the end of the driveway.</p>
<p>Eddie quickly grabs his bike and goes over to him, “Sorry, were you waiting long?”</p>
<p>“Ah, no. I was about to go up and knock, but I wasn’t sure if I should. Your mom seems kind of...”</p>
<p>A strange happiness blooms in Eddie’s center, mostly from the understanding in Mike’s eyes, the warm feeling pushes the pain away, “I know. It was probably best that you didn’t meet her.”</p>
<p>Mike nods, rubbing at his arms absently, as if to get rid of goosebumps, except it was so hot out that Eddie had to rub the sweat away from his forehead at least twice already.</p>
<p>“Let’s get going then, I have some things we can look over at Ben’s.”</p>
<p>It’s then that Eddie notices the satchel in Mike’s basket. Papers were sliding out of it slightly.</p>
<p>The ritual?</p>
<p>“Yeah, let’s go.” Eddie steps on his petals and takes off, eager.</p>
<p>Things were finally moving along. Eddie wonders if he could just defeat It with Mike, Ben, and Bev. Then he could reconcile with the others and maybe give them an “I told you so.”</p>
<p>But maybe Pennywise would be easier to defeat if they were all together, still. Quantity was always better, wasn’t it?</p>
<p>They arrive at Ben’s, not even getting the chance to get off their bike before the door swings open and Bev steps out to greet them.</p>
<p>Eddie waves and Mike holds up the papers, “I think I found something.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Bev grins, “Ben has, too.”</p>
<p>This was almost too easy, now.</p>
<p>They follow her inside and into Ben’s room, where the man himself is busy taping more articles to the wall.</p>
<p>Ben turns and smiles brightly at them, “I think this might be the answer. I’ve got some things from the library, about the beliefs of the Shokopiwah tribe.”</p>
<p>Mike tosses his paperwork into the growing pile, “I couldn’t get much about them, but a buddy of my grandfather thinks that we’ll be able to find an answer in here.”</p>
<p>They all look at each other, before settling down to get to work.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After an hour, Eddie feels his eyes start to droop before he shakes his head roughly to snap himself awake.</p>
<p>Man, Eddie must have really overslept if he was feeling this tired in the middle of the day. Maybe it was just the paperwork, though.</p>
<p>Ben’s research was getting into the technicalities, while Mike’s was getting into the more spiritual side of things.</p>
<p>Ben snaps the book he had been reading closed, “Okay, so I think I know what the Ritual of Chüd was trying to accomplish.”</p>
<p>They all sit up, attentive.</p>
<p>Ben continues, “The ritual, it’s about belief more than anything. Have you ever heard of the Macroverse?”</p>
<p>Eddie shakes his head slowly, “Mike only really told Bill about the whole thing, in the other timeline. I don’t know if he ever mentioned that.”</p>
<p>“It’s like a... psychic battle. It feeds off of fear, but only because It’s taking what you believe in. If you believe you can kill It, you’ll be able to. Basically.”</p>
<p>From what Eddie could remember, that sounded exactly right. Except...</p>
<p>“But when we were kids, the first time, we only kind of injured Pennywise. Was it the ritual that let us kill It?”</p>
<p>Ben bites his lip, “Maybe. But it seems like It had just escaped the first time around. You said that we ripped out It’s heart in the end?”</p>
<p>Eddie grimaces, “From what I could see, yeah. That was the last thing I remember before I... drifted off.”</p>
<p>Mike looks at him, “So it might not have worked?”</p>
<p>Eddie stares back at him. Then, determinedly, he says, “It worked. It must have. I almost choked the thing with my bare hands, It’s not <em>that</em> tough.”</p>
<p>Bev leans forward, “This happened underground? We had to kill It in It’s lair?”</p>
<p>There was a lot of factors Eddie was unsure of. This was starting to make him nervous. “I believe so.”</p>
<p>“The well house, you said that the well had collapsed. Why would It do that?”</p>
<p>Eddie thinks about it for a moment, “I might have messed that up, since I was visiting the place so often. Maybe It didn’t want me to go down there.”</p>
<p>“Sounds like we need to be down there to perform the ritual.” Mike asks.</p>
<p>“I think so.” Eddie tries to remember, but that whole thing had happened so fast that he was having trouble recalling. He shakes his head, “That makes the most sense. If we could perform it anywhere, we wouldn’t have gone down there, trust me.”</p>
<p>Wait. Pennywise was also using the well to take the children. Why would It make that harder for itself?</p>
<p>Well, Eddie supposes, It could always take the kids like Georgie, through the drain system. Those were everywhere.</p>
<p>This didn’t matter anyway, Pennywise had yet to take anyone other than Betty. And Eddie was going to stop It from taking anyone else.</p>
<p>“This is good,” Bev says, “If we get this done today, we won’t have to worry about It anymore.”</p>
<p>She made it sound so final, so easy. Eddie smiles. This might actually work. They’ve got the gist of the ritual, and Eddie could remember a lot of it from the first time around. They really <em>could</em> get this over with today, In the daytime, even.</p>
<p>“This is good,” Bev repeats, staring into space, “Because I’ll be leaving at the end of next week. I’m going to go live with my aunt.”</p>
<p>Eddie wonders if it would look weird if he hugged her for that. He was happy for her, truly. She was escaping way earlier than last time. Ben must have given her courage.</p>
<p>She sees his look and smiles fondly, then she looks off to the side, “I suppose you knew that already though, Eddie, since you’re from the future and all.”</p>
<p>Bev pats her knees quickly before anyone could respond, then she pushes herself up. She stretches for a moment, before looking down at them with a raised brow, “Well? Let’s go check it out.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They arrive at the well house, on bikes this time. Eddie stares up at the place. It was still creepy, even if he was pretty sure it was empty this time around. Pennywise had no need for a broken escape route.</p>
<p>The others stare for a moment, too. Then Bev hops off the back of Ben’s bike and makes her way up to the door.</p>
<p>Ben scrambles after her, and Eddie and Mike follow suit.</p>
<p>Without preamble, Bev shoves the door open roughly. She steps inside, not even pausing to let the dust dissipate. They all fall in behind her.</p>
<p>Eddie looks up at the second floor but can’t see any movement. They shouldn’t waste time looking around, anyway. They were here for one thing. A passageway, or confirmation that it no longer worked.</p>
<p>With that, Eddie brushes past Bev and goes into the room with the well. It was still collapsed into itself. Eddie was half-expecting that to be another trick.</p>
<p>They all surround the hole, staring. Ben steps forward, then quickly back again when the floor gives a groan of protest.</p>
<p>“Huh.” Bev looks down at the floor, then reaches her hand out for Ben, “Here, I’m gonna try and look down there.”</p>
<p>Ben, to his credit, grabs her hand immediately, then his cheeks grow a tiny bit red.</p>
<p>She doesn’t notice, carefully shuffling forward. She pulls a flashlight out of her pocket that Ben had lend her and shines it down into the hole.</p>
<p>She squints, “It’s too deep. I think I can see the bricks the well was made of down there, but not much else. It’s just dirt, completely collapsed into itself. That would be one nasty fall, though.”</p>
<p>The floor underneath her give a loud whine, and Ben snatches her back before it had the chance to crack.</p>
<p>Bev smiles down at Ben, still held close, “Thanks, Ben.”</p>
<p>Ben releases her and says sheepishly, “It’s no problem.”</p>
<p>Bev looks over at Eddie, “There’s different ways to go down there though, right? The drains are all connected.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. Technically, we could just crawl into one of the sewer drains, but I’ve got another idea.” Eddie spreads his hands out, “The Barrens are wide enough for us to walk through, we should try there.”</p>
<p>They all consider this for a moment, before agreeing.</p>
<p>The Barrens. That’s where they thought Georgie’s body was going to turn up. Eddie really hopes this works out.</p>
<p>They make their way outside again. Eddie starts heading down the steps, almost missing one when his center gives a particularly hard throb, then he looks up at the sound of clicking bike tires. He freezes.</p>
<p>Stan skids to a stop and stares back at him, Bill and Richie’s bike following shortly behind.</p>
<p>The other Losers were here.</p>
<p>Eddie stares as they get off of their bikes. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out why they would be here of all places. In fact, he was almost certain that all of them would be avoiding each other from the last fight. Eddie is glad that wasn’t the case, though. They needed to stick together.</p>
<p>Eddie’s eyes dart to them all before he lands on Georgie, tucked slightly behind Bill and looking between Bev, Ben, and Mike. Relief floods through him, Georgie was still okay. They all were.</p>
<p>Stan shifts his weight and looks at all of them, then at Eddie. Richie scratches his head and does the same, confused at the entourage.</p>
<p>Eddie drops his gaze. Eye contact with them right now felt like staring at the sun.</p>
<p>Bev steps forward, “What are you guys doing here?” She sounded curious, but also slightly accusatory.</p>
<p>Richie blinks at her, “You know Eddie?”</p>
<p>Bev blinks back at him, slightly mocking, “Yeah, I’m with him right now, aren’t I?”</p>
<p>Richie’s face goes through several different expressions, before he settles on a sardonic one, and he opens his mouth to probably insult her, but Bill interrupts him.</p>
<p>“W-we were just going to check the p-place out.”</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Bev walks over and picks up Ben’s bike, “Go ahead, then. We were just leaving.”</p>
<p>“Leaving? Where are you going?” Richie’s tone was light, but his face was pained. He darts another look at Eddie.</p>
<p>Bev looks as if she’s going to tell him that it was none of his business, but Mike stops her by answering, “The Barrens.”</p>
<p>Stan cocks his head, “Why? What are you looking for?”</p>
<p>Bev grins, baring her teeth, “An evil clown.”</p>
<p>Bill looks put-out, “We already s-searched there the other day.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, well, you never went all the way inside, did you?”</p>
<p>Richie’s face scrunches up, “That would be dangerous.” His gaze swings over to Eddie, looking to be appeased.</p>
<p>Eddie looks to the side, ignoring him. He was right, but they were going to do it anyway.</p>
<p>Richie’s face drops a little, “We’ll go with you, then.”</p>
<p>Stan looks like he wants to protest, but he just sighs, “Sounds like it’ll be safer if we stick together. Plus, it seems like there’s nothing in the house anyway if you guys already searched it.”</p>
<p>Georgie finally comes out from behind Bill and walks a little closer to them before staring at Eddie.</p>
<p>Eddie steps over and leans down, feeling the watchful eyes of Bill, “Everything okay?”</p>
<p>Georgie gives him a blank stare for a moment, before nodding.</p>
<p>“Ah,” Eddie wishes he could ask this in a more subtle way, but there no helping it, since Georgie was probably too young to get any subtleties, “Have you seen anything else? Anything suspicious?”</p>
<p>Bill must make a face at that, but Ben takes two steps to the side, blocking them from view.</p>
<p>Georgie blinks for a moment, then smiles, “Nope!”</p>
<p>Eddie’s shoulders loose some of their tension, “That’s good.”</p>
<p>“So, let’s head out then.” Mike hops up onto his bike.</p>
<p>They all start to follow suit, Eddie watching Georgie walk over to Bill to get on the back of his bike.</p>
<p>Eddie stands up straight and has a weird moment of double vision. For a moment, it seemed like Georgie had gotten taller before it fades away. The dizziness washes over him, before disappearing quickly.</p>
<p>It had happened so quickly that no one had noticed his pause. He climbs on his own bike, slightly worried.</p>
<p>They ride over to the Barrens, having to ditch the bikes and walk on foot once they reach the grass and trees.</p>
<p>Georgie walks with him for a moment, everyone else staggered up ahead. Georgie turns to him, “Do you think we’ll run into Pennywise down there?”</p>
<p>Eddie looks at him, worried. They probably should have left him at home, being the youngest. Eddie didn’t know how bad this might turn out.</p>
<p>Before Eddie has the chance to answer, Georgie continues on his own, “I don’t think we will. It’s got to be expecting us by now, don’t you think?”</p>
<p>Eddie takes a moment to analyze his words, “Why would you think that?”</p>
<p>“Because,” He says easily, “It’s always watching you. That’s how It knows so much about us. How It was able to mimic Bill to get to me.”</p>
<p>Eddie doesn’t think he’s ever heard Georgie talk this much, it was actually kind of disturbing, “Are you sure nothing’s happened since then?”</p>
<p>“Well,” Georgie holds his hand up to his mouth, “Bill asked me to keep it a secret, but I think something’s wrong with our parents. They don’t really pay attention to us anymore.”</p>
<p>Sounded like the last timeline, then. Pennywise was preparing to take Georgie again.</p>
<p>Georgie shakes his head, “Besides that, it’s really more of a gut feeling. We probably won’t run into Pennywise. At least, not as the clown. It can easily be one of us.”</p>
<p>Georgie stops looking at him. Eddie swallows, saliva thick like it’s getting ready for him to throw up.</p>
<p>With those final words, Georgie skips forward and meets up with Bill, whining that he was tired of walking.</p>
<p>Eddie tries to analyze his movements to be anyone other than Georgie. He was too calm, too collected for the situation.</p>
<p>And he called Bill by his name, instead of Billy.</p>
<p>None of this would have been suspicious on its own, but all of it combined made Eddie continue watching him closely.</p>
<p>After a few more complaints, Bill picks Georgie up off the ground and begins carrying him, which makes Eddie tense.</p>
<p>This was nerve-racking, not knowing. What was he going to do when they entered the sewers?</p>
<p>But maybe he could figure it out before they got there.</p>
<p>Taking a breath, Eddie asks as nonchalantly as he could, “Who’s idea was it to go to the well house?”</p>
<p>Stan looks over his shoulder, gaze calm, “Richie’s.”</p>
<p>No help there, then. “Why? I thought you didn’t believe me.”</p>
<p>He watches Stan’s shoulders shift uncomfortably, but it’s Richie who turns with a frown, “Obviously something took Betty and tried to take Georgie that one time. Just ‘cause it might be a person instead of a monster, doesn’t mean we’re just gonna give up.”</p>
<p>Mike snorts, “You guys might get hurt with that attitude. If something comes at you with teeth, you might want to change your mind real fast.”</p>
<p>Richie looks offended, like he was suddenly going to declare that he was the one who believed Eddie first, but Ben starts speaking.</p>
<p>“This will be a battle of wills, so everyone should be a little prepared to fight this thing.”</p>
<p>Stan nods, “Richie stole a sling-shot from his garage, I think we might be more prepared than you guys.”</p>
<p>Bill turns his head to look back at them, surprise on his face. He obviously didn’t hear about the weapon. He’s no longer paying attention to the clinging Georgie.</p>
<p>For a heart stopping moment, Eddie watches in slow motion as Georgie’s mouth opens wide, right next to Bill’s neck. His teeth shine clearly in his mouth.</p>
<p>Eddie darts forward but doesn’t even get three steps in before Georgie’s mouth closes again.</p>
<p>It was just a yawn.</p>
<p>Ben looks over at him, concerned, “Be careful, there a lot of roots sticking out from the trees.”</p>
<p>Eddie nods. Ben thought he just tripped. He swings his gaze back to Georgie just as they arrive at the entrance to the sewer.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t Bill know if something was wrong with Georgie? He was so close to him all the time; he would at least suspect something. Especially since it seemed like he already realized that something was wrong with their parents.</p>
<p>Eddie considers how to ask but is distracted when Georgie starts to complain that Bill is setting him down.</p>
<p>“What, you think you’re n-not heavy? You’ve grown up a bunch since I used t-to carry you around.” Despite his words, Bill tosses Georgie in the air playfully by his armpits. He doesn’t go very high, but Georgie still giggles with enjoyment.</p>
<p>“Higher! Throw me higher!”</p>
<p>Bill grunts with effort, “I told you, you’re really h-heavy.” Bill tosses him once more, a tiny bit higher than last time, “You think you’re light? You think you’re gonna float?”</p>
<p>Eddie stares, shock washing over him. His ears begin ringing and he couldn’t seem to focus on anything other than the two in front of him. Those words couldn’t have been a coincidence.</p>
<p>He tears his gaze away to looks at the others, but they’ve all got smiles on their faces at the brother’s antics. Not a single hint of unease.</p>
<p>Eddie locks his gaze back on Bill and Georgie. How many illusions could It do simultaneously? A lot, apparently. It had messed with all the Loser’s separately before.</p>
<p>So, was this an illusion? Was this not Bill? Was this not Georgie?</p>
<p>Bill finally sets Georgie down, then looks up at Eddie, meeting his gaze directly, “We’re heading inside, then?”</p>
<p>Eddie breathes out but can’t find words.</p>
<p>Richie looks over at him, brow furrowed. Eddie can see him focusing on his fragile expression and the tension that he couldn’t quite manage to hide.</p>
<p>He had to make a decision.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Everyone's finally together! Or are they?<br/>There's some tension in the air here, oh no.<br/>Will Eddie ever get a break?<br/>As always, let me know what you think in the comments. I particularly like it when you guys try to predict what's happening because sometimes you guys are way off, but other times you guys are spot-on.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Seventeen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Love all of your predictions! I cannot confirm or deny anything!<br/>Ready for the sewer?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was like a horrible game of tag. Who’s It? Who’s It? If Eddie couldn’t figure it out, they’d get him.</p>
<p>Not just him. The others would be in trouble, too.</p>
<p>But what now? He couldn’t just turn back. They had to kill It, that would be the best thing to do.</p>
<p>And if It was truly among them, even better. They could get rid of It before the sun went down.</p>
<p>A <em>snap</em> sound brings him out of his thoughts. Richie shakes his hand, swearing. He had snapped the slingshot against himself.</p>
<p>Bev tilts her head at Eddie, ignoring Richie, “We good to go?”</p>
<p>Stan walks up behind Bill and unzips his backpack, “Here. We brought a flashlight.” He pulls the chunky thing out and holds it up.</p>
<p>Mike nods and pulls out his own, “I’ve got... two.” After a moment of indecision, they decide that Mike, Bill, and Bev got to hold the flashlights. Everyone else had to pick someone and stay close.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, Georgie stays close to Mike just then. Bill doesn’t seem to mind, waiting for everyone to gather.</p>
<p>Or maybe that wasn’t so surprising.</p>
<p>Eddie clenches his jaw, “Let’s go, then. Make sure you stay with the group. Keep an eye on each other, we’re more vulnerable if we’re separate.” That was the best Eddie could do. If It really was amongst them, It wouldn’t attack if they were together. He hopes so, anyway.</p>
<p>Eddie makes his way up to Bill, deciding to keep his eye on him. Plus, being in the middle of the group meant that no one could venture too far away without him stopping them.</p>
<p>Stan joins him, which automatically kicks Richie to the back group with Bev and Ben.</p>
<p>Georgie turns to look back at them once, then they enter the sewer. Eddie resigns himself to ruining the pair of shoes he has on. There was no avoiding stepping into the gray water.</p>
<p>They’re silent for the most part, the fading light at their backs creating tension. The only noise is the sloshing of the water at their feet, which gets colder as they venture deeper. It eventually becomes so dark inside that the flashlight barely dents the blackness.</p>
<p>Despite the dark atmosphere, something in Eddie settles. Like this is what he’s meant to be doing. This is where he’s supposed to be. The constant pain at his center had faded almost all the way.</p>
<p>Almost immediately, they come across their first fork. Mike looks left, then right, muttering, “We should have brought a map.”</p>
<p>Eddie steps up to him and points to the right, “It’s this way.” Eddie wasn’t sure if the directions were just from instinct, but it sure felt that way. Like something was whispering the answers in his subconscious.</p>
<p>Eddie continues on in sort of a trance. It isn’t until Stan begins talking that Eddie remembers that he should be on high alert.</p>
<p>“I thought we were looking around for the clown,” Stan waves his hand in the air, “Where are we heading?”</p>
<p>“It’s lair,” Mike says.</p>
<p>“You know where It’s lair is?”</p>
<p>Mike looks back at him and gestures with his chin, “Eddie does.”</p>
<p>Stan shoots him a concerned look, and Eddie can’t tell if it was concern on how Eddie knows that, or concern for Eddie’s mental health.</p>
<p>Georgie begins splashing the water with his feet out of boredom. Bill calls ahead, “Georgie, that w-water’s dirty, don’t get it everywhere.”</p>
<p>Eddie studies Bill. Would It care about something so trivial?</p>
<p><em>Yes</em>, especially if it would bring Eddie’s suspicions down for saying so.</p>
<p>Bill makes eye contact with him, “S-so how’s your m-mom doing, Eddie?”</p>
<p>Was that a <em>threat</em>? Eddie is reading too much into this. Bill would be the one to ask, even if they were fighting. His caring always outweighed his stubbornness.</p>
<p>“The same,” Eddie says plainly, then decides to jab at them, “Still forcing medication at me.”</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Stan turns his head to look at him, then down at his fanny pack, “Anything new?”</p>
<p>“It wouldn’t matter, would it?” Eddie snaps, “It’s all just sugar with different labels slapped on.”</p>
<p>“Those labels being...?”</p>
<p>“Enough,” Mike calls back before Eddie could yell at him. But a second later, it’s Mike who continues, “You guys genuinely don’t think there’s something evil in Derry? You’d rather call Eddie crazy?”</p>
<p>“If I thought there was nothing, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Stan doesn’t acknowledge the crazy part.</p>
<p>Bev splashed up from behind them, which draws Ben and Richie closer by default. “So, what, you think there’s a murderer living in these sewers, but it’s a step too far to call It a monster?”</p>
<p>“You guys believe this thing is a boogeyman, and <em>I’m</em> the one getting weird looks?”</p>
<p>Bev looks frustrated on Eddie’s behalf, “I think I get it. You guys <em>know</em> Eddie. You think he’s been acting strange since this whole clown thing started.”</p>
<p>Bev looks at Eddie and holds his gaze, “You don’t know what else changed.”</p>
<p>“Eddie’s been friends with us since elementary school,” Richie pipes in, almost bragging, “We’ve known him for ten years, almost.”</p>
<p>“He’s known you longer than that,” Bev says, but softly, her words drowned out by the water at their feet. Eddie knows what she said, because he was expecting it.</p>
<p>That was the missing piece. Eddie could prove to Bev, Ben, and Mike that he knew them in the future just by listing things he knew about them. That he wouldn’t have known since he just met them.</p>
<p>But trying to convince his best friends that he had grown up with was harder. What could he say?</p>
<p>Eddie begins trailing behind as they go along, at first thinking too hard, then his thoughts slip away. Ben taps his elbow and gestures for him to slow down a bit more.</p>
<p>“You should tell them everything, the whole story,” Ben whispers as the rest get further ahead, “Otherwise, they won’t know what to do when the time comes.”</p>
<p>“I’ll...” Eddie struggles to get himself focused. It felt like his head was in the water instead of his feet, everything felt dull and unimportant. He blinks hard, “Sorry, yeah. You’re right. I’ll talk to them.”</p>
<p>“<em>We’ll</em> talk to them, confirm some things. You’re not alone in this, you know? We can back you up.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Eddie breathes, then gives him a smile, “Thanks, Ben.”</p>
<p>Telling them about the time jump sounded easy enough. It was getting them to believe him that was the hard part. Where should Eddie start in the story? They weren’t going to like that he hid something like this this long. It made it even more unbelievable.</p>
<p>Deciding to just go for it, he starts, “Hey guys, there’s something I’ve been meaning to–”</p>
<p>He’s cut off by a yelp from Georgie. Bill looks ahead, “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>Georgie has one eye squinted in pain, and he lifts his foot out of the water. Blood trickles down from his ankle into his shoes, but only a tiny bit.</p>
<p>Eddie stares. It looked like a bite mark.</p>
<p>All at once, everyone looks down into the water. It was too shallow to hold much. Eddie’s mind immediately starts to play tricks on him with all of their shadows dancing around, but there couldn’t be anything major down there, unless it was very flat. Everyone begins to shuffle, trying to keep their feet out of the water, but it was no use.</p>
<p>Bill walks up to Georgie while murmuring, “Rats?”</p>
<p>Eddie furrows his brow while everyone begins to worry over being bit. If Georgie is It, what would he gain by biting ankles?</p>
<p>This was getting too hard to keep track of. Eddie wasn’t sure if <em>anyone</em> was It at this point. Maybe he was just being paranoid.</p>
<p>Eddie looks over to Bev. Getting a second opinion would help.</p>
<p>“Bev,” Eddie murmurs as he walks up to her, “I’ve got to tell you something.”</p>
<p>Bev looks over her shoulder, curious. Ben’s head pops up on the other side of her as well.</p>
<p>That would have been fine, but in the echoing room where a distraction from potential rats was needed, Eddie’s voice drew the gaze of Bill and Stan as well. Then there’s the sound of Richie’s splashing footsteps next to him and he knows that he’s listening too.</p>
<p>Eddie’s expression freezes, feeling like he was caught cheating on a test. He looks past everyone over to Georgie, who’s pointing at the bite and asking Mike if he could become like Spider-Man.</p>
<p>“It’s - uh, it’s nothing. Never mind.”</p>
<p>“Not to interrupt,” Richie calls out, “But there’s another tunnel back there and I’ve gotta use the old water gun.” Richie adjusts his pants to get his point across.</p>
<p>“Richie...” Bill shoots a look at Bev, then Richie. Richie’s smile twists a little, unsure if he should have held back with a girl in the room.</p>
<p>After a moment everyone realizes that he obviously doesn’t care, “No, no, you’re right. I meant bazooka.”</p>
<p>Stan sighs loudly, “Just hurry up, would you?”</p>
<p>Satisfied with himself, Richie begins making his way down the tunnel.</p>
<p>Eddie calls at his back, “Don’t go far!” He’s worried. They shouldn’t start separating.</p>
<p>Richie waves over his shoulder, “I’m not having anyone listen!”</p>
<p>He had a nervous bladder. Great.</p>
<p>Richie reaches a point where he takes one step, two, then disappears into the murk.</p>
<p>Eddie shuffles his feet, nervous. After two minutes, which Eddie deems as long enough, he says, “Stay here, all of you. I’ll be back.” Then he makes his way quickly down the tunnel to where Richie went.</p>
<p>It was dark, without a flashlight. If Eddie had been the one to walk this way, he wouldn’t have gone any further. But the tunnel that Richie had talked about was five more feet into the dark.</p>
<p>“Richie?” Eddie couldn’t see anyone, but he also didn’t want to get accused of trying to sneak up on him. He squints into the dark for a moment.</p>
<p>A splashing noise comes his way, and Richie emerges a moment later. Eddie could just barely see the whites of his eyes get bigger, “Eds? Is that you?”</p>
<p>“I told you not to go too far,” Eddie reaches out to pat him instinctively, his body trying to cope with not being able to see.</p>
<p>“I didn’t,” Richie says, and reaches back to grasp his arm, then he starts walking. After a moment, he says, “You <em>have</em> been acting different, y’know. Normally, you would ask me if I washed my hands. Then yell at me when I told you, ‘yeah, I soaked them in the sewer water.’”</p>
<p>Richie’s teeth shine in the dark when Eddie shakes him off to pull out hand sanitizer and squirt it at him.</p>
<p>“That’s disgusting,” Eddie says.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Richie agrees with a grin, he leans over him. “So, what did Bev mean by ‘you’ve known us for longer?’”</p>
<p>Eddie is surprised, “You heard that?”</p>
<p>“I was listening.”</p>
<p>Eddie sighs, pushing Richie’s face away. He was hovering too close. They both come to a stop.</p>
<p>“So,” Richie starts, watching him with amusement, “What’s been eating at you?”</p>
<p>Eddie considers how much he should say. He had wanted to tell everyone, with the added bonus of some of them backing him up.</p>
<p>“Richie... I don’t think you’ll believe me.”</p>
<p>Richie’s smile drops, he takes a second to think, then he says, “Eds, I’m sorry, for last time. I was concerned. Still am. I had just had this talk with Stan and what he said back then... it made sense, at the time.”</p>
<p>He shakes his head, “But you’re still Eddie, despite you acting a little funny, and if this thing we’re up against turns out to be a monster, I’ll protect you. <em>We’ll</em> protect you.”</p>
<p>Eddie tries to hold back his emotion when he speaks, “Alright. I’ll tell you.” He takes a deep breath, then says, “I’ve lived all this before. I’ve been sent back in time to prevent It.”</p>
<p>Richie blinks a couple times at that, “Oh?” He stares for a moment, not able to keep the incredulous look off his face. But he was trying to.</p>
<p>Eddie sighs and starts making his way back, “Just forget it, I’ll tell everyone once we–”</p>
<p>“Wait! Wait, I believe you. Don’t go.” Richie snags the fabric of his shirt to stop him from going further.</p>
<p>“You do not. Just forget I said anything. This is insane.”</p>
<p>Richie tries to real him back towards him, “I’m just trying to understand, Eds. Stay here.”</p>
<p>When Eddie finally turns and faces him, Richie’s got an expression of intense concentration, as if he’s reanalyzing all of Eddie’s words so that he can take him more seriously.</p>
<p>After a second, he speaks, “I can tell that you’re not joking around. It’s just...” A troubled expression forms on his face.</p>
<p>Eddie sighs, “Unbelievable. I know. I don’t think I would believe me if our situation were reversed.”</p>
<p>“So, explain it then. Tell me the whole story. Am I handsome, in the future?”</p>
<p>And it was such a Richie thing to say, that Eddie’s shoulders droop as he relaxes, “No, of course not, look at how you are now, it’s only gonna get worse from here.”</p>
<p>They grin at each other, unsure. They will always be best friends, no matter what situation or what timeline they’re in. They will always love each other. All of the Losers will, it was something deeper than them. They were connected.</p>
<p>“Okay, tell me what you’ve been up to, old man. They give you bingo to play in your retirement home?”</p>
<p>So, Eddie opens his mouth and tells him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love how Eddie is all suspicious of everyone acting weird while they're doing the exact same thing back to him.<br/>Let me know what you guys think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Eighteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys! Two things have changed since last chapter. We got a Spanish translation on both Wattpad and AO3 by the lovely <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuro_Neko4869/pseuds/Kuro_Neko4869">Kuro_Neko4869</a>, which is linked in the first chapter.<br/>And, also in the first chapter, I've drawn a cover for this fic! The art is part of a <a href="https://jax-creation.tumblr.com/post/621420541519233024/start-again-by-jaxcreation-pairing-eddie">promo on my Tumblr.</a> So, go check it out!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Wait, wait, wait- back up. You’re <em>how much</em> older than me?”</p>
<p>Eddie gives him a deadpan stare, “Richie, that’s not what we’re focusing on.”</p>
<p>“It’s what <em>I’m</em> focusing on. Who are you married to again?”</p>
<p>Eddie sighs, “Myra. And it wasn’t a happy marriage, so it doesn’t matter.”</p>
<p>Richie hesitates, “And who am I married to?”</p>
<p>Eddie stops rubbing his temple and looks at him. Just looks at him. Soon, realization blooms over Richie’s face and he looks off to the side.</p>
<p>Eddie shakes his head slowly, “You weren’t married.”</p>
<p>“Any, uh, girlfriend?”</p>
<p>“Not that you mentioned.”</p>
<p>Richie rubs him arm, “Did I... mention anything else?”</p>
<p>Before Eddie could answer, Richie cuts him off with a quick, “Never mind.” Then, “How do you think he chooses who to go after?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“The clown.”</p>
<p>“I guess... It goes after the kids that are already afraid.”</p>
<p>“Like you, being afraid of your mom. Stan being afraid of his responsibility. Bill losing Georgie. What about me?”</p>
<p>“Well you didn’t get hunted, originally, I don’t think.”</p>
<p>“Ah. So, I’m fucked by association.” Richie taps his fingers against his thighs, like he’s playing an invisible piano. He fidgets some more, then blurts out, “I’m afraid of some things.”</p>
<p>He finally meets Eddie’s eyes, and says slowly, “Am I still afraid of the same things, in the future?”</p>
<p>Eddie wants to ask what he is afraid of, but Eddie already knows. And Richie knows he knows.</p>
<p>Eddie bites his lip, “I think... you are. You were.”</p>
<p>Richie smiles bitterly, “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” After a moment, his smile turns a little more peaceful, but also a little sad, “That’s okay. I apparently told <em>you</em>, so that’s enough.”</p>
<p>Eddie can feel his expression become pinched, “Richie... you didn’t tell me. I figured it out.”</p>
<p>Richie’s face falls in disappointment, then he makes an effort to look happy again, “Well. Then two of you figured it out. Maybe more, and they just never mentioned it. Didn’t want to deal with it.”</p>
<p>Eddie didn’t think the conversation would lead to this <em>at all</em>. “Richie, we love you, you know that right? This wouldn’t change anything. You can tell us anything and we would still love you.”</p>
<p>Richie’s face took on a dazed expression when Eddie said the word ‘love.’ He wipes it clean, and starts complaining, “Stan found out. Stan knows <em>now</em>. I thought for sure he’d let it slip. Hell, I’m sure if he didn’t kill himself before our future reunion, he would have outed me right then for waiting that long.”</p>
<p>“Richie, it’s your choice to come out. You’re not supposed to let people do it for you.”</p>
<p>“But it’s so much easier that way,” Richie whines dramatically. Eddie can tell with his fidgeting and the way it is hard for him to meet his eyes that he is still afraid.</p>
<p>And fear would eventually summon Pennywise.</p>
<p>“Let’s head back to the others.” Eddie starts walking and Richie scrambles to catch up, “I don’t know why you walked this far into the dark without a flashlight.”</p>
<p>Richie grins a bit, “I told you, I had to pee.” He pauses, “So, wait, this means you’re an old man in a little body. It’s like you’ve gained an extra life. But this means you can’t ever date anyone, huh?”</p>
<p>“Richie, that is <em>so</em> not important. I’m trying to keep everyone alive.”</p>
<p>“But I’m right, aren’t I? We’re all children to you. Anyone your age sees <em>you</em> as a child.”</p>
<p>Eddie sighs, “It’s still not a priority of mine. But yeah, you’re right.”</p>
<p>He looks over at him, expecting him to be wearing a smug look. Maybe even gloat a little.</p>
<p>He just looks earnest. Richie throws his arm over Eddie’s shoulders, “That’s okay, Eds. I’ll stick with you, that way you won’t have to be alone. You, me, and your mo-”</p>
<p>Richie’s cut off by Eddie jabbing him in the side. He hunches over and grunt, letting Eddie go. But Eddie knows what Richie meant. Richie’s love, like all of the Loser’s love, runs deep. It’s so deep, that Eddie telling him that he’s from a different time didn’t change his opinion or make him act any different. Eddie wishes, suddenly, that Richie were his older self.</p>
<p>It’s this bittersweet feeling that makes Eddie say, “I- I’m pretty sure I had a crush on you, when we were this age.”</p>
<p>Richie’s mouth makes a little “o” shape. He reaches up and adjusts his glasses. Blinking a couple times, he discreetly looks around for anyone that could have overheard, but they are still alone in the dark.</p>
<p>Finally, Richie clears his throat and says casually, “So, you like the nerdy look?”</p>
<p>Too casual. He’s faking it. Richie chews on his lip as his hands begin to fidget again. His eyes, however, were lit up in happiness.</p>
<p>Eddie isn’t sure if what he is feeling is second-hand embarrassment or just the regular kind. Maybe both.</p>
<p>Eddie reaches out and pats his head, like he’s a dog. Richie doesn’t seem to mind.</p>
<p>Eddie avoids the question by continuing to walk. “Let’s keep going.” The quiet is starting to turn eerie again.</p>
<p>As they splash along, it becomes more than eerie. Eddie is sure that they should have run into the others by now, they hadn’t gone that far away in the first place. With the darkness all around them, Eddie can’t be sure how much they’ve walked, if they’ve already passed the place yet.</p>
<p>Richie seems to be feeling the same, “Did we take a wrong turn?”</p>
<p>“We haven’t turned at all. They were straight down this main tunnel.”</p>
<p>Hearing his distressed tone, Richie reaches over and rubs his arm, “Hey, worst case scenario, we can just yell for them. This place echoes, we’ll be able to find them easy.”</p>
<p>Worst case scenario would be them not being able to yell back. Eddie doesn’t say this, instead he says, “Let’s wait on that for a bit longer. I don’t want anything else to hear us, either.”</p>
<p>They continue along, Eddie thinking about all of things he hasn’t said yet. When he stumbles over something and Richie asks if he is okay, Eddie blurts out, “Pennywise can mimic. I told you that, right?”</p>
<p>“You did, yeah.” Richie’s expression turns wary, not knowing where Eddie is going with this.</p>
<p>“I think It might be mimicking one of us.” Before Richie can ask, Eddie says, “I think It is mimicking Georgie. And maybe Bill, but I’m not sure.”</p>
<p>Richie is quiet for a moment. Then, “Well, let’s keep our eye on them, then. Until you’re sure, at least. We’ll make sure none of the rest go off alone with them.”</p>
<p>Eddie breathes out, grateful that he didn’t immediately dismiss the idea.</p>
<p>Then he hears voices. Loud, but not in an alarmed way.</p>
<p>Eddie and Richie speed up, and they can finally see the light of a flashlight. Bev stands there, leaning close to Ben and talking to him. It’s Bill who’s voice they had heard, his hands around his mouth and shouting in the opposite direction. Stan leans against the wall, seemingly uninterested.</p>
<p>Eddie makes his way up to them, Bev nodding to him in greeting. He takes in the room and stiffens suddenly, “Where’s Georgie?”</p>
<p>Bill calls out again, and now Eddie can hear his words, “Georgie! We’ll be right there!”</p>
<p>Ben leans down to scratch at his ankle, while Bev answers, “Mike took Georgie ahead a little, the rats wouldn’t stop biting him. We were going to go looking for you two, but you found us first.”</p>
<p>Richie and Eddie look at each other, alarmed enough that Ben starts to ask what’s wrong, but Richie rushes forward and grabs the flashlight from Bill. “We’re gonna borrow this. Race you guys to Georgie.”</p>
<p>Then they take off, the splashing of the water loud enough that Eddie isn’t sure if the others follow. But he can’t focus on them, anyway. Mike went up ahead with Georgie. Mike is alone with Georgie.</p>
<p>Richie’s jittery flashlight catches on a person and they slow their steps, but not completely. Eddie’s feet don’t stop until he’s standing in front of him. “Georgie. Where’s Mike?”</p>
<p>Georgie eyes are wide, probably from them rushing up. He points at the tunnel next to them.</p>
<p>Richie shines the flashlight over there, and Eddie keeps his eyes on Georgie, but he does nothing else.</p>
<p>Eddie can hear the splashing feet of the others catching up, so he joins Richie at the entrance of the tunnel.</p>
<p>Eddie braces himself as Richie shines the light around. If Mike is hurt...</p>
<p>Richie’s light catches Mike, which makes them both jump. He stands there, at the center of the tunnel, closer than they were expecting.</p>
<p>“Holy shit, Mike! Don’t stand in the dark without a flashlight, you blend in too much.”</p>
<p>Eddie kicks at Richie’s ankle for the comment, but Mike only holds his flashlight up and shakes it, “It died on my way in here. Guess we’re stuck with two now.”</p>
<p>“That’s okay,” Eddie says absently, feeling the same tug as last time, “We’re close. And you made the right turn, we have to keep going this way.”</p>
<p>They let the others catch up, all of them closer to each other now that there’s only two sources of light.</p>
<p>Eddie stops at the next tunnel and stares, like he’s facing down an old foe. It was just past this tunnel.</p>
<p>He tells them this, and they all put on determined expressions. Richie once again pulls out his slingshot.</p>
<p>Mike takes the lead once more, and Richie pushes slight in front of Eddie, as if protecting him. Eddie continues on in a daze. They are close. Very close.</p>
<p>“It’s sealed off,” Mike calls back.</p>
<p>Eddie pushes past them to see for himself. Mike stands next to a grate, kicking at it with his foot, but it doesn’t budge.</p>
<p>Eddie reaches out and tries shaking it himself to be sure.</p>
<p>The metal is too thick. It’s being held there with giant bolts. It isn’t going anywhere.</p>
<p>The water climbs farther up his ankle as the rest of them come closer.</p>
<p>Bev doesn’t look too concerned, “There has to be another way around.”</p>
<p>Stan nods, “All the drains are connected, we should backtrack a bit.”</p>
<p>Georgie’s voice comes from behind Eddie, seemly right next to his ear, despite that being impossible, “Dead end.”</p>
<p>Eddie turns to look at him, but Georgie is already pouting at Bill, complaining about more walking.</p>
<p>Richie reaches over and scrubs roughly at Georgie’s hair, “Hush up, french-fry. We can take turns carrying you if you’re gonna be a baby.”</p>
<p>Georgie scowls and tries to brush down his hair, “I’m not a baby.”</p>
<p>“Good. Then you can walk.”</p>
<p>Eddie can’t tell if Richie had done that on purpose, so no one would be carrying Georgie, or if that was just a coincidence. Either way, Eddie is grateful.</p>
<p>As they start making their way around, Eddie starts to doubt himself. Mike went off with Georgie alone, and he’s fine. Georgie isn’t acting <em>that</em> strange and neither is Bill. Maybe It isn’t among them.</p>
<p>He sees Mike stop ahead and look up. “Do you hear that?”</p>
<p>They all stop, trying to listen. A second later, Eddie hears it.</p>
<p>A groaning noise, metal on metal, like when the swing set at the park would creak after a rainy day. Eddie would say that the pipes were settling, except that it had come from above them.</p>
<p>They look up, flashlights shining against the roof. It takes a moment for Eddie to realize what he’s seeing.</p>
<p>The tunnels they are walking through are very old. Rusted in most places, full of dents and cracks. And this thing they are all staring at looks like a dent, just a very big one.</p>
<p>It’s not until there is another groan, accompanied with dirt falling into Bill’s shoulder, that Eddie knows what’s about to happen.</p>
<p>Eddie turns to warn them, but Ben is already pushing them towards the other side, calling, “Everyone move!”</p>
<p>They rush ahead, then there’s one more groan, louder than all the previous ones, and the tunnel collapses into itself.</p>
<p>“Holy shit!” Richie says while tugging Eddie farther away from the dust cloud.</p>
<p>Some of them begin to cough, backing further away from the wreckage. Eddie stares with watering eyes. They couldn’t go back now.</p>
<p>“Old pipes?” Bev questions. She looks at Eddie, her eyes asking her next one. <em>Pennywise?</em></p>
<p>They weren’t trapped, there were plenty of ways to exit the sewer. The only trick this would be is to kill them in the collapse or to force them to move this way. That didn’t seem like It’s style at all. Eddie shakes his head a bit.</p>
<p>“Let’s keep moving,” Mike says, looking up warily.</p>
<p>“Shouldn’t we be looking for an exit now?” Stan asks, but he says it dejectedly, as if he knows what they’re going to say.</p>
<p>“We’re close,” is all Mike says in response.</p>
<p>Eddie tells them to take the next right, and then is suddenly hit with a wave a dizziness. He puts his hand out to catch himself on the wall.</p>
<p>Except the wall doesn’t feel right. It feels like cloth.</p>
<p>Eddie looks at his hand, resting on a familiar set of gray clothes, red pom poms just above his fingers.</p>
<p>Eddie takes a breath, eyes traveling up while his mouth has already begun screaming. He meets the yellow eyes of Pennywise, and he steps backwards, foot catching on something.</p>
<p>He starts to fall, and hears, “Eddie?”</p>
<p>Hands catch him from behind, and his legs splash into the water before the same person hoists him up. Eddie has a disoriented moment where he’s turned around to meet the concerned gaze of Bill.</p>
<p>Eddie jerks back and looks over to where the clown had stood, but there’s only Stan, walking up with a frown.</p>
<p>“I...” Eddie blinks a couple times, looking around.</p>
<p>The Losers all look back at him with various degrees of concern. There is no clown in sight.</p>
<p>Eddie gets to his feet. What was that?</p>
<p>Georgie kicks at where he tripped, “There’s a brick over here, under the water.”</p>
<p>“You okay?” Bev asks.</p>
<p>Eddie doesn’t know how to respond. They didn’t see anything, even though it happened in the middle of all of them. And Pennywise didn’t <em>do</em> anything.</p>
<p>Was It even there in the first place?</p>
<p>Eddie nods, and they all hesitate before deciding to continue on.</p>
<p>For a moment, Eddie stands there looking down the long, dark tunnel, where Pennywise had stood. Catching his breath before everything catches up to him. And then he turns and makes his way to the others.</p>
<p>He has to get a grip on things before he loses it.</p>
<p>They get to a narrow entrance up ahead, so that they have to go in one at a time. There’s a step up to get inside, the path no longer in the water.</p>
<p>Stan goes in first, then turns to look back at them with a grimace, “Be careful, there’s a drop up ahead on our left. We’re gonna have to walk in a single file line, okay?”</p>
<p>They all make noises of agreement.</p>
<p>Stan looks forward again, then continues hesitantly, “We should also do this in pairs, this thing doesn’t look too sturdy.”</p>
<p>They all try to peer in to get a look at it. A small ledge is in place near the entrance so that they can all stand in the room.</p>
<p>The drop is significantly worse than Eddie had been expecting. This must be where the different levels of the drainage system were. There is a latter leading up on the opposite side, but age and rust has worn it down so that it no longer looks functional.</p>
<p>Eddie’s shoes slide a little, slick from the water earlier. If any of them fell down this, they wouldn’t be able to get back up.</p>
<p>Mike takes the flashlight from Richie and lays it down to face the walkway. The last person would have to grab it when they cross, but for now it lights up the path enough for them to make it across.</p>
<p>Eddie could easily see this going wrong. He steps up to the edge, looking down once more. It would only take one misstep to have one of them fall down there. But what choice did Eddie have? This was the only way to get across.</p>
<p>Mike takes the lead. Stan follows him. Eddie watches Stan take careful steps forward. Mike is a little more confident in his movements, glancing back and pointing out something for Stan to step over. He nods gratefully, focused on the ground.</p>
<p>Bill looks like he’s gearing up to start next, but Bev gestures Ben ahead first, then follows behind him.</p>
<p>Richie walks up to Eddie, “Let’s let the little guy go next, yeah? Bill can follow him, and I’ll stay behind you, Eds.”</p>
<p>Eddie watches Georgie closely. He’d have to give Bev and Ben a minute to cross, so no one would be in front of him. Bill, however, would fall directly behind him.</p>
<p>But if Eddie was behind Bill, he might be able to stop anything from happening. If anything <em>was</em> going to happen.</p>
<p>Eddie looks back at Richie, “Sounds like a plan.”</p>
<p>Richie smiles slightly, then heads over to tell Bill.</p>
<p>Eddie turns back and looks down into the dark water below. It wasn’t deep, wouldn’t catch anyone who fell in there.</p>
<p>Richie calls him over, Bill and Georgie already heading ahead.</p>
<p>Richie gestures, “After you.”</p>
<p>The walkway wasn’t that narrow. The lack of guard rails and his slippery feet were worrying, but as long as he’s careful, he should be fine.</p>
<p>Eddie feels a small tug on the back of his shirt at one point, but besides that, Richie doesn’t have any other problems. Eddie looks ahead, only able to see Bill’s back, but they too are making their way across carefully.</p>
<p>Eddie is concentrating so much that he doesn’t realize how close he is to the end until his feet touch the other side.</p>
<p>He looks around. They all made it across.</p>
<p>Now that they were out of the water, Eddie can see the many bite marks on Georgie’s ankles. They weren’t deep, but if they were from actual rats, Georgie should go and get them checked out. Eddie says as much, and Georgie and Bill both nod. Everyone starts chatting, more friendly now, the dark silence from earlier broken.</p>
<p>The nightmare of It being among them in the sewer is wearing off fast, as nightmares do, and Eddie’s theory is starting to sound more and more outrageous.</p>
<p>Eddie’s feet trail back over to the edge, looking into the dark. With no one pointing their flashlight down there, it really looked as if the drop went on forever.</p>
<p>Eddie sighs, hearing someone walk up behind him. He’s about to comment on what direction they should head in next, but he doesn’t even have time to pull in another breath before he feels a pair of hands shove on his back suddenly.</p>
<p>He falls forward, feet leaving the ground. He doesn’t even have enough time to scream.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you guys are ready for the true horrors that will begin next chapter!<br/>The true question you should be asking yourself is: who pushed him?<br/>Let me know your thoughts/theories in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Nineteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Everyone is soooo suspicious of Richie...<br/>Here's a really fast update for you guys, because I had a lot of this chapter written already!<br/>I love writing creepy scenes!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There is a second of freefall, where Eddie prays that this fall won’t kill him, before he lands, hard.</p>
<p>The water splashes all around him and up into his face as he feels a familiar sharp crack in his arm. He lets out a cry, his voice garbled slightly.</p>
<p>He hears the rest of the Losers shouting in bursts between the dead silence of the water. Their words gibberish to Eddie’s ears, even as he pulls his head up.</p>
<p>Making a significant effort, Eddie pushes himself up to his feet. He tucks his hurt arm close to him, hoping that it wasn’t broken, but knowing better. At least it wasn’t his leg.</p>
<p>He looks up and squints, trying to see past the two flashlights shining down at him.</p>
<p>The Losers all stand up above him, their silhouettes the only thing he can see. They were all still okay, then. Relief, mixed with a bitter fear, fills his throat. At least one of them is Pennywise, he’s certain of it now.</p>
<p>“Eddie!”</p>
<p>“Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“What happened?”</p>
<p>“Did he trip?”</p>
<p>They are all speaking at once, and Eddie just stares up at them. One of them is lying, playing a false innocence. Eddie isn’t sure who because the hands that pushed him weren’t small enough to be Georgie’s. They all had to get out of the sewers. There is no way to face a mimic when you’re unsure of who It’s mimicking.</p>
<p>Mike calls out, “We’re gonna make our way around, but I don’t know if there’s a way to get to you.”</p>
<p>“No!” Eddie shouts. “Just find a way out. I’ll do the same. We’ll meet up outside.” There is no way Eddie is going to let them go into It’s lair now, not with It among them. They needed to regroup outside, where Eddie has a better chance of finding out who the fake is.</p>
<p>This also meant that one of them has been taken by Pennywise already. They could be hurt, or worse. Eddie hopes that they’ll still have enough time to find them.</p>
<p>For now, he has to work on warning them without scaring them. Eddie squints, trying to differentiate the shapes of them all, “Richie! Do you remember what I told you? Keep an eye on everyone, keep everyone safe!”</p>
<p>Richie’s voice sounds determined and slightly pissed, “Yeah. I will. Meet us outside, okay? Take the first exit you see.”</p>
<p>“I will.”</p>
<p>It takes them a second, but they all eventually gather their bearings and begin to head off, down another tunnel where Eddie’s gaze can’t reach. As they get further, the light fades completely. Eddie can’t even see his own hand when he puts it in front of his face.</p>
<p>He bites his lip to stop himself from calling them back. He wouldn’t be able to catch a flashlight in the state he’s in, anyway. The fear is making his legs shake.</p>
<p>He takes a breath to calm himself, to push all the worrying aside. He’s fine. He knows generally where the ladder is, he can make it. He’s safer than the other’s right now.</p>
<p>A splash from behind him stops his thoughts. He holds himself still, listening.</p>
<p>A small ripple hits his ankle in response, the source unknown.</p>
<p>There was no way to walk quietly in water this shallow, but Eddie tries his best. He drags his feet through the water until his hand brushes against metal. The ladder. He grips it with his good hand and pulls himself up, only for the rung to snap and make him fall back down. The splash from the impact echoing.</p>
<p>Or maybe not echoing. A series of different splashes seems to be heading his way. Frantically, he jumps for the next rung and prays that it holds. He pulls himself up again and gets one foot on there before he feels cold fingers wrap around his ankle.</p>
<p>Instinctively, he kicks out with his other leg and makes impact against what felt like teeth. But the grip doesn’t release, and the hand tugs him down with It.</p>
<p>He falls back into the water once more. He scrambles up, unseeing. His own feet against the water make him afraid, unsure if it’s his movements he’s hearing or someone else’s. He tries to calm himself down, not able to hear over the panicked beating of his heart.</p>
<p>After a minute of stillness, Eddie steps over to the wall once more. It is messing with him. He can’t be afraid. Can’t let the fear control him. Or else he’ll be just tasty enough to eat.</p>
<p>He puts a shaky hand where he thinks the ladder is, but only feels the wall. A small keening noise starts up at the back of his throat without his permission. His palms are sweaty and for the second time that day Eddie is reminded that he doesn’t want to die.</p>
<p>He skims the wall once more, finding the ladder on his second try. He hears It giggle, but it’s echo is all around. It could be near or far.</p>
<p>Eddie pulls himself up once more, making sure to move faster this time. The middle rung snaps, but he grabs the next one before he can fall again. This jars his hurt arm, but there is enough adrenaline in his body for him to keep climbing.</p>
<p>Finally, he grips the edge of the wall and pulls, heaving himself up on his stomach.</p>
<p>He lies there for a moment, energy sapped. His heart is racing, breaths coming out in a pained wheeze.</p>
<p>His damn arm is broken again. His mom is going to kill him if the clown doesn’t do it first.</p>
<p>He lifts his head to look around. He sees a lot of shapes, but none of them are moving. His eyes have mostly adjusted to the dark, now.</p>
<p>“Oh, Eddie,” Pennywise croons, and Eddie can’t tell which direction the voice is coming from. “You think you’ve been granted a second life?”</p>
<p>Eddie gets to his feet once more, his breaths coming in fast. It wasn’t surprising that the clown knew about the time jump, It could have overheard him talking about this several times. Or gained the knowledge from his fears.</p>
<p>“You’re only a bad side effect. You won’t be able to fight me the way you’re planning to. None of your friends even believe you.”</p>
<p>Eddie shakes his head. He can’t just stand here and listen to It talk; he’ll go crazy. He starts walking carefully, taking the first entrance he sees to get away.</p>
<p>The thought of some monster with clammy white skin and sharp teeth following him as he stumbles around, the thing just waiting for the right moment to grab him and sink It’s many teeth into his throat, was enough to keep Eddie’s feet moving despite the dark.</p>
<p>A voice from down the next tunnel starts speaking, “We’re connected, you and I. You can <em>feel</em> it, can’t you?”</p>
<p>Eddie feels a hand, a hand as hard as steel, grab his center in its fist. He can feel its fingers clamping in, and it begins to squeeze, harder and harder.</p>
<p>It hurt. It hurt bad.</p>
<p>Eddie struggles against it, and the grip gets worse. It squeezes so hard that Eddie’s mind turns blank for a moment.</p>
<p>“Poor Eddie, all alone. No friends who are willing to help.”</p>
<p>“You’re wrong,” Eddie spits out. His voice shakes. His whole body does. He could hardly breathe, it hurt so much.</p>
<p>“All alone. And so, so afraid.” The voice is suddenly right next to him, “I can <em>taste</em> it on you.”</p>
<p>Eddie doesn’t wait for more; he turns and books it down a different tunnel.</p>
<p>He hears the footsteps follow, but then the noise is cut off.</p>
<p>Eddie is using his hand to feel where he’s going. He keeps his fingertips against the walls, taking any opening he feels is the right one.</p>
<p>The pain is starting to hurt so bad that Eddie begins to worry about dying down there. If he dies, who will take down It?</p>
<p>But that answer is obvious. The Losers would take down It, no matter how many members they lost. Eddie would take the place of Georgie from the original timeline, and all would be fine.</p>
<p>There’s a scream and Eddie is yanked back into the reality of the situation. He can’t tell where the scream originated from, but it sounded like Bev.</p>
<p>Did they somehow make it back around? Why didn’t they just find the exit?</p>
<p>The next opening he comes across, he sees a group of figures standing in the middle of the room. All unmoving. Just dark silhouettes standing in an even darker room.</p>
<p>Eddie stops, instinct screaming that this isn’t right. There are no flashlights, no voices, and absolutely no movement.</p>
<p>“How many of your friends can you trust?”</p>
<p>The dark figures begin moving, but the room begins spinning in Eddie’s eyes, the dark spots overtaking his vision. His brain starts to drift...</p>
<p>He feels himself teetering, like he’s in the middle of the seesaw they played on as kids. Back and forth, unable to find balance.</p>
<p>Eddie’s palms go to his eyes and he rubs them, hard. He starts chanting to himself, “They’re not here. They’ve found the exit. They’re all alright because they’re all together.”</p>
<p>A small, broken voice interrupts him, “Eddie...?”</p>
<p>Eddie opens his eyes. Richie stands in front of him, except something’s wrong. He’s slightly hunched over, hand up on his neck, blood dripping from in between his fingers.</p>
<p>Richie holds onto the wound, “You left us alone.” And his tone, it’s not accusing. He sounds frustrated, tired, and weary. Eddie could see the beginning of tears pool in Richie’s eyes, but not enough to fall.</p>
<p>“Richie?” Eddie could hardly breathe with his heart thudding so hard. Faintly, Eddie can hear a groaning overhead. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“It hurts,” as he speaks, more blood runs down his arm.</p>
<p>“Richie,” Eddie says again as if trying to confirm if it was really him. He takes a breath, “Where are the others?”</p>
<p>He smiles a weirdly calm smile, “They got out. I came back for you.”</p>
<p>A feeling of calm washes through Eddie, as if he is feeling what Richie is. An odd, disconnecting peacefulness. Another groan from above them makes him look up, but then Richie keeps speaking.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” he says. Except Eddie isn’t sure if he was actually speaking out loud. His lips didn’t move. “It’s okay.”</p>
<p>And then, his voice is all of a sudden older, and it shouts, “Eddie! <em>Move!</em>”</p>
<p>He throws himself out of the way just as dirt comes crashing down. He holds his good arm over his head, the scar on his palm giving off a pleasant warmth. Dirt cakes onto his back, weighing him down. It falls around his legs and traps him in place.</p>
<p>Once everything settles, he drops his arm and looks around. There is dirt and debris everywhere. Where Richie had once stood is now a giant pile of dirt and rocks. Eddie’s own lower half is stuck in thick muddy water.</p>
<p>The horror of what nearly happened, the claustrophobia, being submerged in wet dirt, gives him the strength he needs to pull himself out from under it. His arm throbs in protest, but he’s soon free and able to walk again.</p>
<p>He walks over to where the dirt pile now resides. There is blood trailing from underneath it.</p>
<p>He knows that this isn’t Richie, but an irrational fear of him being wrong makes him drop to his knees.</p>
<p>He begins digging with the little strength he has left, the fingers on his hand bleeding. “Please, no. Please, no,” he pleads softly to himself, over and over.</p>
<p>He scrapes the dirt away. Brushes it away from his dark hair and pale face. He puts a hand to his cheek, the warmth from his scar gone.</p>
<p>For a moment, Eddie thinks he sees Richie’s eyelids twitch. Then a voice comes from all around him. Eddie’s middle throbs harder.</p>
<p>“How much of what you see is me? And how much of what you see is only in your head?”</p>
<p>He doesn’t answer. He presses his hand to his abdomen, pushes his palm in deep, trying to make the throbbing stop.</p>
<p>When he looks back up, Richie’s eyes are open. His hand shoots out of the ground, and he starts pulling himself out, all the while having a dead-eyed stare directly at Eddie.</p>
<p>Eddie scrambles backwards. He can’t help it. He <em>knows</em> this isn’t real, but his eyes don’t.</p>
<p>He tries to run, his feet slipping from the wetness earlier, making him fall. His palm skids on the rough surface and it might have hurt, but Eddie wouldn’t know because he is already up and running again.</p>
<p>The good thing in all of this darkness, is that it’s really easy to see the light from outside. An exit.</p>
<p>The surge of hope he gets when he sees the opening is tremendous. Surely, it is enough to keep It away for a minute.</p>
<p>He gets out into the fresh air and doesn’t stop running until he’s far away from the tunnel. He stumbles to a stop, adrenaline starting to wear off and his arm and center starting to throb once more. He looks around. He’s next to the Barrens, except he’s more downstream.</p>
<p>There’s nothing else he can do. He makes his way out, looking for the others. Struggling out of the Barrens and into the road is harder than he thought it would be.</p>
<p>He makes it to the dirt road when he stops short.</p>
<p>He hadn’t cried the entire time, too hooked up on adrenaline. But the sight in front of him makes tears spring to his eyes, which just makes the situation worse. Sharks love when there’s blood in the water.</p>
<p>And Henry Bowers loves crying, hurt children.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Eddie just never gets a break, does he?<br/>Let me know what you think in the comments!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Twenty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's another chapter!<br/>I was struggling so hard to write this one, so it took me a bit longer than anticipated, whoops.<br/>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie pulls his hurt arm closer to himself, staring at Henry Bowers. He blinks the tears away quickly, not wanting to seem weak.</p><p>After a startled moment where they both just look at each other, a mean grin pulls up the corner of the other boy’s lips and his hand disappears into his pocket. A moment later, Bowers reveals a switchblade, the blade snapping open with a click. Eddie glances at it but doesn’t move, his gaze locking with Henry’s once more.</p><p>“Check it out,” Henry tilts his head, like a dog sizing up its meal, “A piece of shit, all alone. Where’s your group of sissies?”</p><p>Eddie looks around them. He could run, try to find somewhere to hide. Maybe Henry wouldn’t follow him.</p><p>Henry takes a step forward, catching Eddie’s attention again. “Not so tough without all of your loser friends to back you up, are you?”</p><p>Eddie wishes he had enough energy and two working arms so that he could face Bowers right then. He has enough pent-up rage against the asshole, mostly for stabbing him in the face in the future, that he could afford to go a few rounds.</p><p>But he’s worn out. So tired that he could probably lay down right there and sleep on the concrete for a long time.</p><p>Henry’s face twists in disgust, “Nothing to say? I’m sure you’ll be talking once I’m done with you. Or screaming.” He rushes forward suddenly.</p><p>Eddie wasn’t expecting that. He feels adrenaline rush through his body. He ducks fast, hoping to catch him off guard enough so that he could get away.</p><p>Henry sees through the feint. His arm flies out, hitting his chest and stopping him from continuing on. His other arm brings the knife closer, trying to stab him.</p><p>Eddie holds on desperately with his good hand as Henry pushes the knife towards him. Eddie swings his foot up, aiming for his balls but underestimates and ends up kicking him in the thigh. Henry steps back once and he is able to dodge the knife and finally duck under his arm.</p><p>Eddie tries to get away again, but Henry kicks the back of his knee. He goes down, leg buckling.</p><p>“Fucking asshole,” Eddie finally says, his arm creaking in protest. He wobbles, trying to get up. His knee is throbbing from the kick and his arm is burning with pain.</p><p>Henry lands on his back, knocking him back down to the floor and taking the breath from his lungs. Eddie tries his best to not land on his broken arm but is more focused on the immediate threat behind him.</p><p>Eddie throws his elbow back frantically, flailing to the best of his ability. Soon, he’s pinned on his back, knife to his throat. This stops his movements.</p><p>Henry gives him another predatory grin, eyes crazed. Eddie begins to breath more shallowly, trying to keep the knife from pressing into his skin.</p><p>“What? You thought you could take me?”</p><p>Eddie glares up at Bowers, then tries kicking up once more. Henry looks as if he doesn’t even notice the movement.</p><p>“You shouldn’t have tried to fight back. None of you losers are good at it.”</p><p>He lifts the knife until it hangs directly over Eddie’s eye. The point so close that Eddie is having a tough time seeing anything else. He watches the tip come down and struggles, crying out in pain when Henry pins his broken arm to the ground.</p><p>“Here, I’ll give you a message to send back to them.”</p><p>Eddie watches the knife get closer to his eye, a small whine of fear leaving his throat involuntary. Henry laughs.</p><p>The sound of his laughter is cut off and the next thing Eddie knows, the knife is clattering across the pavement.</p><p>Henry’s head swings over to look, and Eddie turns his head in the same direction.</p><p>Bill, Georgie, and Richie stand over with their bikes. Richie is slowly lowering his slingshot, gaze focused. Georgie looks frightened, but the other two look mad. Then, when Richie glances down at Eddie’s arm that’s bent the wrong way, true rage spreads over his face.</p><p>Letting out an angry cry, Richie sprints over and kicks Henry in the face. Hard.</p><p>Henry is knocked off of him and, in his shock, forgets to fight back for a second.</p><p>By the time he starts throwing fists, Bill is over there helping Richie.</p><p>Henry may be bigger than them, but without his cronies it’s still two - Georgie yanks Henry’s mullet so hard his head flies backwards - three against one.</p><p>The clicking of more bike tires makes Eddie look over. Ben throws his bike to the side, Bev a step ahead of him.</p><p>She crouches near Eddie while Mike goes over to where Henry is. Ben and Bev both reassure Eddie that he’ll be fine, they wouldn’t let Bowers near him again.</p><p>Stan stays on his bike, looking from the fight to Eddie, unsure of which to join. A second later, the fight ends with Henry laying on the ground, not fighting back. At this point, they all stop, except Richie who gets two more good kicks in his ribs before Bill hauls him away.</p><p>Georgie crouches over on Eddie’s other side, “You okay? I’m gonna go knock on one of the doors and call 911, okay?” He starts to stand.</p><p>Eddie knows he’s misjudged him. Georgie is alright, just a tad more direct than Eddie is used to. Eddie reaches up and grips the end of his shirt before he can take off. “No, Georgie, this isn’t a 911 emergency. Call my–” Eddie swallows, “Call my mom.”</p><p>Eddie rattles off the numbers twice before Georgie remembers them and runs toward the nearest house.</p><p>Richie crouches near his head, Bill and Mike standing by his legs, guarding.</p><p>Stan makes his way over, kicking the knife aside so that it skids into one of the storm drains. He stands just behind Bev and Ben, all of them hovering over Eddie.</p><p>“Hey, Eds?” Richie smooths Eddie’s forehead, despite having little hair there. Actually, he might be wiping blood away.</p><p>Eddie looks at him through tired eyes. He wonders if Richie is going to offer to set his arm in place again. Which is a terrible idea, but Eddie doesn’t have a lot of strength to stop him.</p><p>He must look really bad, because Richie’s next words crack in the middle with emotion, “Let’s get you up.”</p><p>Eddie is hauled to his feet, albeit gently, by several pairs of hands. Richie’s hand stays on his side, so Eddie feels when his shirt is gripped tighter as they all see Georgie jogging back to them. He carefully avoids Henry’s still body on the ground and comes to a stop, panting, “Your mom said she’d be here. She sounded mad.”</p><p>Eddie grimaces, “Yeah. I’m sure she did. I’ll probably be locked in my house for at least a week.”</p><p>Richie’s voice sounded low, like he still hadn’t shaken off the anger from earlier, “That’s okay. We’ll figure out how to stop It by the time you’re back.”</p><p>His tone makes Eddie look back at him. Richie’s gaze doesn’t stray from Georgie, who shifts uncomfortably.</p><p>Eddie looks from face to face, unsure. Is one of them Pennywise?</p><p>His center aches, as if answering his question. One of them had pushed him down into that dark pit in the sewer.</p><p>Eddie shakes his head, “Don’t go into the sewers without me.”</p><p>He gets several nods, some even vigorously, but Richie tilts his head a little, mouth opening to argue.</p><p>Eddie cuts him off, “Don’t.”</p><p>Richie’s gaze slides away for a moment, then he nods, “Yeah. Okay.”</p><p>Eddie has to make sure. He says, “Come to my house tomorrow. We’ll figure out a plan, then. My mom might let you inside if I blame it all on Bowers.”</p><p>Eddie himself might be stuck in bed on pain meds, but he’ll be able to keep them all together. He hopes.</p><p>“Eddie... did Bowers do this to you?” Bev gestures to his arm, then to his whole body.</p><p>Eddie doesn’t have to look down to know that he looks like a drowned rat. A dead drowned rat, at that.</p><p>He feels himself teeter, and Richie’s grip becomes stronger so that he doesn’t list to the side. “Umm. Not really. A lot of this is from the sewer.”</p><p>“When you fell? What happened?”</p><p>“Did you slip?”</p><p>Stan’s mouth pinches a little, “You shouldn’t have stood so close to the edge.”</p><p>Eddie looks each of them in the eye, unsure. “I... I was pushed.”</p><p>Bev and Mike’s eyes widen, and they both say, “Pennywise?”</p><p>Richie tugs Eddie a little closer to himself and says in his ear, “It was the mimic, wasn’t it? I knew you didn’t slip.” He isn’t exactly quiet.</p><p>“The w-what?” Bill blinks at them.</p><p>Richie must give him a hard look that Eddie can’t see, because Bill blanches a second later.</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Eddie hisses out to Richie.</p><p>“Yes, you are.” Richie studies his face, “You’re gonna keep this a secret, too?”</p><p>They stare at each other for a moment, then Ben steps forward, “Secret? Are you guys talking about the time jump?”</p><p>“Time jump?” Georgie asks.</p><p>“What is this ‘blurt out Eddie’s secrets’ day?” Eddie looks back at Ben incredulously.</p><p>Bev shuffles forward, “I think it’s best if we’re all on the same page, yeah?”</p><p>Eddie can hear Richie’s grin in his voice, “Yeah, it’s not <em>our</em> fault you’re a time machine with a broke switch.”</p><p>All at once, Bill, Georgie, and Stan repeat, “Time machine?”</p><p>Eddie shoots him a look, knowing he did that on purpose. Richie wrinkles his nose at him, shameless.</p><p>Eddie sighs, too tired to argue, “Fine. I’ll tell you guys about the time thing.”</p><p>Richie starts to ask, “What about the mi–”</p><p>Eddie’s look shuts him up. He shakes his head slightly. Pennywise wouldn’t react well to being called out, he’s sure. And them not knowing who It was mimicking would make them paranoid and scared and they would start to turn on each other. It’s best to keep that to themselves, at least for now.</p><p>Richie looks unsure, then his expression clears and he nods. “I’ll set your arm, then you can start explaining.” He holds his hands up.</p><p>Eddie instinctively shrinks away from him, but not completely. Despite the pain, setting the break would make it more tolerable, at least. And Richie didn’t mess anything up last time he did it.</p><p>Eddie nods shortly and closes his eyes.</p><p>Richie has to push close to do it, and Eddie holds his breath as Richie’s hair tickles his mouth.</p><p>He shrieks a little through his teeth as the bone is set. Then it’s over. He opens his eyes, pale and shaky and sweating, but better.</p><p>Richie looks pained on his behalf, “Sorry, but your arm looked ugly.”</p><p>Eddie squints at him through the pain, “<em>You’re</em> ugly.”</p><p>Georgie giggles slightly which makes Richie scowl, but Georgie doesn’t see it.</p><p>Stan tilts his head, “What time thing were you talking about?”</p><p>Eddie stands up straighter and takes a deep breath, “Okay, so I’m–”</p><p>His gaze catches a familiar car rolling down the block, “–gonna have to explain later. Actually, most of you know already. I’ll leave the explanation to you guys.”</p><p>Mike and Ben give a determined nod. Richie looks at the car, then to Eddie, eyebrows pinched in thought.</p><p>Then Eddie finds himself with an arm full of Richie, who slams into him so suddenly that they almost both go down.</p><p>“We’ll figure this out,” he promises into his shoulder, “It won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”</p><p>But Eddie knows that Richie can’t really guarantee that, despite how much he wants to. Eddie still hugs him back with one arm and says, “Yeah, It won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore.”</p><p>His mom pulls up and Eddie steps back, walking towards the car before Sonia has the chance to get out and start yelling at everyone. He glances at the still Bowers on the ground, wondering how long he’d be out for.</p><p>Stan calls out a final, “See you tomorrow.”</p><p>Eddie looks back, meeting his gaze. His mouth twists into a half-smile, which Eddie has trouble discerning. Still, he holds up his hand to wave while climbing into the passenger seat.</p><p>All of them wave back, grim looks on their faces.</p><p>Once the car pulls them out of view, Sonia begins her lecture on how he shouldn’t be hanging out with them.</p><p>In return, Eddie has to find the balance between blaming Henry and praising his friends for helping him. If he overdid it, Sonia would never let him leave the house.</p><p>Still, her voice gets so loud that Eddie doesn’t question when they make a wrong turn. It’s not until they pull onto his street that Sonia takes a breath and Eddie interjects, “I thought we were going to the hospital, mommy?” In the sweetest voice he could manage.</p><p>She gives him a flat look and snaps, “I’ve already served your dinner plate out, and do you know what they’ll feed you there? You can’t go malnourished to the hospital, haven’t I explained this before?” Then she goes off on another tangent that Eddie doesn’t bother following.</p><p>He does follow behind her as she makes her way into the house, then straight into the kitchen. She puts her hands on her hips and rattles on as he tries to eat, but his stomach turns distastefully.</p><p>He sets the fork down. At her look, he says, “I’m not hungry.”</p><p>Her eyes go wide with horror, as if he just admitted to getting an STD from Dr. Keene. “Sweetie, you need to eat! You’ll end up as nothing but skin and bones! Do I need to start you on a special diet?”</p><p>Seeing that she wouldn’t back down, he grits his teeth and forces the meal down. He’s tired. Of her, but also, he just wants to sleep.</p><p>She wraps his arm up and gives him a sling out of one of their many medical stashes. Then she sends him upstairs to wash up, which Eddie thinks is strange, but he figures he does smell like the sewer, so he listens to her. The pain in his arm has now faded to a dull throbbing, more numb than anything.</p><p>Making his way upstairs is challenging. Every step gets harder and harder to take. His feet feel as if they are being weighed down by bricks. He reaches the top and turns towards his room to get a fresh set of clothes.</p><p>He sets them on his bed, then his knees give out and he collapses next to them. He lies back, eyes already closing. Sonia is going to get mad that he’s taking so long, but he needs to rest.</p><p>Just for a little while.</p><p> </p><p>Later, Eddie wakes suddenly. The feeling of something off nagging him.</p><p>He gets out of bed and just stands there for a minute. It’s pitch-black outside, the clock reading 3:34am. A small lamp in the room is his only source of light. He stands there, breathing, trying to shake the confusion away.</p><p>His mom was supposed to take him to the hospital. Wasn’t she? Was that yesterday? What happened? What year is it?</p><p>He rubs his hand across his face, other arm still in the sling from earlier. He’s still a kid. His arm is still broken. Because of Pennywise.</p><p>He has a sudden urge to throw up. He turns towards the door.</p><p>And then his center throbs again.</p><p>He wishes he could see, suddenly. The corners of the room were full of shadows, the lamp not bright enough to reach the whole room.</p><p>He throws open the door and stumbles, dizzy and uncoordinated, down the hallway. His gets into the bathroom and hovers over the toilet, waiting to throw up.</p><p>Whispers start up next to his ear. He looks over at the sink.</p><p>With some effort, Eddie walks over and leans his head against the cold porcelain, looking down into the drain.</p><p>The words that come out of the sink are nonsensical. Eddie can’t even tell who’s speaking.</p><p>Still, Eddie grips the edge with one hand and leans over to croak into the dark drain.</p><p>“Who are you? Who did It take?”</p><p>More voices, with a small giggle that he thinks might be Betty. Still, no answer.</p><p>Feverish, Eddie lies his forehead back onto the cold edge. He sits there, listening to the whispers, drifting in and out of sleep.</p><p>At one point, he mumbles, “...have to get him out of here.” But he’s not sure if that came from his throat or not. Then, “We can still help him.”</p><p>
  <em>We can still help him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eddie!</em>
</p><p>His eyes crack open once more, the room looking darker than before. He goes to speak, but the words don’t leave his throat. His eyes close and he sleeps, the pain in his arm and center still prominent, but his hand feeling warm against the porcelain.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yaaay, finally not a cliffhanger... sort of?<br/>Let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Twenty-One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's a semi-early chapter for you guys, to make up for the last one taking a bit longer. Not that I ever have a set schedule for posting, I just post when I finish the chapter.<br/>Anyways, hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie groans at the bright light and goes to throw his arm over his eyes. He feels his arm get caught and pain flares through him.</p>
<p>He squints down at the sling, now shifted slightly from him laying with it on. A bruise blooms from the injury, taking up almost his entire arm, swelling and making his movements stiff.</p>
<p>All the events that happened to him yesterday come back to him as he pushes himself up. He tries to clear the fuzz in his brain, blinking a couple times.</p>
<p>His bare feet hit the floor, making him realize that he is dressed differently than last night. All the grime from the day before had been scrubbed away somehow.</p>
<p>He stares down at himself, trying to comprehend it. Did Sonia wash him? Did he wash himself? Surely, he would remember either of those events. But he doesn’t, which is more concerning than anything.</p>
<p>He stands up and almost immediately has to catch himself from overbalancing. He feels weak, dizzy, like he’s recovering from a long fever. He looks at his arm once more, wondering if it’s getting infected. He steps over to the mirror and lifts his shirt to the best of his ability.</p>
<p>He stares. Stares for a long time.</p>
<p>It’s no longer a bruise. It’s a scar. A <em>fresh</em> scar. Eddie wouldn’t be surprised if he touched it and it started bleeding, it’s bright red.</p>
<p>Freaking out for more reasons than one, he drops his shirt, breathing hard. He walks up to the door and pauses before turning the handle.</p>
<p>Why hadn’t Sonia woken him up? Why hadn’t she taken him to the hospital? She’s taken him to the hospital for coughing funny before; he doesn’t understand what’s happening.</p>
<p>Eddie turns the handle slowly, the small clicking noise making him hold his breath. He opens the door, revealing nothing but the empty hallway.</p>
<p>Quietly, he makes his way downstairs, making sure to avoid the spots in the steps that he knows would creak. The house isn’t quiet, the tv from the living room is talking softly and Eddie can hear pots and pans clinking in the kitchen.</p>
<p>Before Eddie can even peer in, he hears Sonia begin to hum. A small rattling noise, one that Eddie is very familiar with, echoes inside.</p>
<p>He peeks in but can only see Sonia’s back. She’s standing in front of the stove, cooking eggs by the smell.</p>
<p>She holds her hand up and shakes something into her other palm. It’s like she’s putting salt on her hand, but Eddie waits, wanting to confirm what he had heard.</p>
<p>He’s rewarded a second later, when she turns and set the pill bottle on the counter next to her. Lunesta. By the sound, it seems like only a few pills are left.</p>
<p>Eddie hears her begin to grind the pills into powder, and he knows what’s about to happen. There is no other reason for her to touch those pills while cooking. He sees her begin to sprinkle the dust she made into the pan, then she reaches for more pills.</p>
<p>At first, Eddie is angry, about to confront her about putting medicine in his food. Then, when he thinks about it more, he grows worried. He had only gotten that medicine a couple days earlier. How much had she been giving him? The side effects... Eddie could only remember a few. Drowsiness, confusion, anxiety...</p>
<p>Clarity washes over him. He needs to get out of there. Either Sonia went off the deep end or, more likely, Pennywise is influencing her.</p>
<p>He watches her carefully, backing up. He feels his foot catch on the carpet and throws his arm out so that he wouldn’t trip. His hand hits the end table, rocking it slightly, but enough for a few knickknacks to hit the floor.</p>
<p>Sonia’s humming stops.</p>
<p>Eddie freezes. As if the scary monster couldn’t see him if he could just... stay still.</p>
<p>She turns and a surprised look washes over her, like she wasn’t expecting him to be standing there. One by one, the pills in her hand drop to the floor. Each one seemingly louder than the last.</p>
<p>Finally, she speaks, “Eddie! I was just making you breakfast. Why don’t you go sit down? You can eat and then I’ll take you to the hospital.”</p>
<p>She smiles, like it’s just a normal day. And, sure, making him think he needed pills isn’t too far off from just forcing him to take them, but these aren’t placebos. They’re sleep medicine. They mess with his mind, his emotions.</p>
<p>He looks down at the pills. She glances down as well, then says “Oh!” Like she hadn’t realized she had dropped them. She waves her hand in the air, brushing it off, “Just a little something to help with the pain.”</p>
<p>Eddie’s throat clicks as he speaks, “What, like, ‘you can’t feel pain if you’re unconscious?’”</p>
<p>After a heavy pause, he continues, “I know what Lunesta is.” Eddie had considered taking it, in the future, when the nightmares had gotten worse and kept him up at night. The side effects hadn’t been worth it, then.</p>
<p>“Eddie-bear, I’m only doing this for your own good.”</p>
<p>Eddie blinks, wondering how many times she had said that exact line to him before. They stare at each other for a little while longer. Eddie can feel his expression close off, no longer the simpering child, but the adult who knows better.</p>
<p>“‘For my own good?’ Tell me, mom, was the placebos for my own good, too? How about the fake inhaler?” He grits his teeth, “Telling my teachers that I was so sick, so <em>delicate</em>, that I couldn’t play with the other kids, was that <em>for my own good</em>?”</p>
<p>She looks at him like she doesn’t know who he is, which is pretty ironic, considering Eddie never thought she would do something like this.</p>
<p>“It’s because of your delusions, Eddie. I was trying to keep you here, keep you safe.”</p>
<p>His face twists up, “Delusions?”</p>
<p>Then, she reaches into the cabinet next to her and pulls out a familiar notebook. Eddie stares at it, held in her hand. Numbly, he says, “You went through my stuff?”</p>
<p>This shouldn’t have surprised him, she did that constantly during his youth. But to read through his notes? That was a kind of thorough snooping that he wasn’t prepared for.</p>
<p>She ignores him, “Where are you getting these delusions!? It’s from those kids, isn’t it? They’re mentioned in here a bunch of times. It sounds like you’re joining a <em>cult</em>, Eddie, you have to stay away from them!”</p>
<p>Eddie shakes his head, “Those are my friends, you have no business telling me who I should hang out with.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think you understand Eddie, I’m doing this because I love you. You haven’t been taking your pills and you’re making up stories about monsters. It’s those boys, isn’t it? Making you forget about what’s really important.”</p>
<p>“The pills are fake. I don’t need to be corralled to this place by a fake sickness.”</p>
<p>She tries to sound reasonable, “It would be better for you, sweetie. If you just thought you were sick you would never get sick, you see?”</p>
<p>Eddie shakes his head again, gritting his teeth some more. He goes to shout again, but she cuts him off with a yell of her own.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry that I care about you!”</p>
<p>She puts her hands up to her face, almost weeping. But Eddie has seen enough of her fake tears to know that she is just trying to guilt-trip him.</p>
<p>“You don’t care about me. You care about yourself.” He decides to interrupt her weeping by calling her a liar. It feels good.</p>
<p>This is when she starts to really cry, “I just didn’t want to be alone. First your dad...”</p>
<p>And that, that stings Eddie deep. He had felt the same way his whole life. That constant fear of being left alone.</p>
<p>The frustration builds in him. He’s still tired, and unsure how much hold Pennywise has on her. If he had only killed Pennywise faster, neither of them would be in this situation. He loves his mom, despite what she’s put him through. He felt so lost when she died.</p>
<p>It’s all too much. Eddie feels the tears burst out of him without warning, and he remembers more side effects of the medicine: agitation and sadness.</p>
<p>“Oh, baby, come here. It’s okay.” Sonia holds out her arms and drags him towards her when he doesn’t immediately move.</p>
<p>She hugs him tightly.</p>
<p>Eddie hasn’t felt this in a while, this suffocating love. He listens to her murmur to him, trying to get him to stop crying.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, Eddie. You don’t ever have to feel alone. You’ll always be with me.”</p>
<p>Eddie tries to pull out of it, put she resists. Sighing, he gives up and lets her get the hug over with. His mind begins racing, trying to think of how long the hospital trip will take, and how much energy he’ll have left afterwards. He has to take care of Pennywise now.</p>
<p>Except, when he lets a breath out, her arms tighten around him. Squeezing hard enough that Eddie knows he’ll bruise from it.</p>
<p>He tries pulling himself away, panicking when she doesn’t let go. “Mommy?” He gets out in a wheeze.</p>
<p>“It’s okay, Eddie.” She repeats in the same soothing tone, “I’m here for you.”</p>
<p>And Eddie, he can’t breathe. It’s not the same as his asthma attacks, or his anxiety attacks. This feeling comes with a crushing force.</p>
<p>Desperate, Eddie sinks his teeth into her arm. And not gently either, he’s after blood.</p>
<p>She makes a noise like a yowl, but then dark spots begin to appear in his vision. He chomps down harder, before the burning in his lungs becomes too much.</p>
<p>He passes out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eddie isn’t expecting to wake up again. But when he does, he’s expecting to at least be in the sewer.</p>
<p>However, he blinks open his eyes and finds himself in his room again.</p>
<p>Huh. Maybe Sonia really <em>did</em> just go crazy.</p>
<p>Groggy, he tries to get up. He pulls himself off the bed but is yanked back halfway through the motion. He looks down at his wrist.</p>
<p>Chains.</p>
<p>Eddie squints at them. At least the cuff is only around his good wrist, not his broken one. He tugs at them experimentally.</p>
<p>He can probably break the frame their attached to, he just needs some leverage. And a lot of time.</p>
<p>He hears the creaking of the stairs; someone is heading up. He reaches towards his desk and just barely skims a paperweight. His fingers pull it closer until he can grab it. He’s not against throwing it at her, not when she’s got problems in her head.</p>
<p>It would only leave a bruise, he knows, but he would at least feel a bit satisfied after she just suffocated him.</p>
<p>Eddie rears his arm back just as the door swings open. Before he can throw it, he feels his fingers go slack out of shock and he drops it next to him. It bounces slightly on the bed.</p>
<p>Pennywise, in full clown gear, stands in his doorway with Its telltale grin. Eddie can’t remember, but It seems taller than last time. This might just be because Eddie has never seen It while seated before.</p>
<p>Eddie absently yanks at the chain again, feeling it rattle on his arm. He’s going to die. Again.</p>
<p>Its voice, so familiar and so, so terrifying, mocks, “Scared, Eddie?”</p>
<p>Its eyes stare right at him, through him, like It is trying to dig into his soul.</p>
<p>Eddie tries to glare back but feels like the whites of his eyes might be showing too much to manage it, “I’m not afraid of you.”</p>
<p>It scoffs, which is a human trait Eddie didn’t think It was capable of. Then It tilts its head, listening.</p>
<p>Eddie hears the noise a second later. Knocking begins downstairs, and then the door opens with Richie’s voice ringing clear, “Hey, Mrs. Kaspbrak. We’re here to see Eddie. Wish him well and all.”</p>
<p>Eddie’s mouth drops open in horror and Pennywise’s hand snaps forward to cover it. Eddie’s frantic breathing can now only go through his nose. Pennywise smells like nothing, surprisingly. He stares into the inhuman yellow eyes, then It starts talking again.</p>
<p>“You fear for them more than yourself. I’d eat you right here, but I have no need for <em>your</em> fear.”</p>
<p>The door shuts downstairs and after a minute Pennywise moves its hand away. It brings the same hand above its head and waves in a circle, tapping its heels together, like a mockery of Dorothy from <em>Wizard of Oz</em>.</p>
<p>Always so fucking dramatic.</p>
<p>Pennywise begins to shift, becoming smaller. It takes Eddie a moment to realize what’s happening, and he only truly understands when Its arm pulls up into a sling and a fanny pack appears on Its hip.</p>
<p>Eddie stops breathing as the mimic grins with his mouth.</p>
<p>The fake body shifts to walk away, and it’s then that Eddie realizes that It isn’t going to kill him. It’s going to go after the others.</p>
<p>“Why?” Is all Eddie can manage to ask. Then, he asks again, “<em>Why</em>?”</p>
<p>It stops, then says, “You just wanted to live. Wasn’t that your final wish? To live?”</p>
<p>Eddie can’t remember what his final wish was. But that sounded right, at least.</p>
<p>The grin drops completely from Its face, “That was <em>my</em> final wish. But you see,” the fake Eddie makes his way over to the desk chair, crouching on it unnaturally, like It doesn’t know how seats work, “I specialize in illusion, not reality. I needed something to attach to, to come back. Something with a bit of power on its own.” Pennywise’s gaze stares at his center.</p>
<p>Eddie stares back, trying to comprehend, “You... you used me to jump back in time. So that you wouldn’t die.”</p>
<p>It waves its hand in the air, “Ding ding ding! Of course, I didn’t know we’d be so... attached.” It gestures vaguely to his middle. Then Its eyes get an unnatural sheen to them, “Everything is unraveling now. So, you understand why I have to eat. It’s the best for both of us. Your friends will be enough, for a little while.”</p>
<p>It planned this, Eddie realizes through his horror. As soon as It was sure about the connection, It planned it all. Knowing that Eddie would have to get close to the Losers. Knowing that meant they were all vulnerable around him, trusting. Easy prey.</p>
<p>Eddie yanks at the chains desperately, and starts yelling, hoping someone would hear. It only grins at his actions, and Eddie knows it’s futile. He watches as It rises from the chair and makes Its way to the door. It seems to ignore his cursing, up until It stands outside his room.</p>
<p>Then It looks at him, right in the eye, and winks, before disappearing downstairs to meet with the Losers in Eddie’s body.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had to make Pennywise start giving the villain exposition, there was no avoiding it. Pennywise talking is so hard to write, because he's usually talking to children and like, mocking them.<br/>Buuut some things are finally revealed!! Not everything, but some!<br/>Leave a comment with your thoughts, I always look forward to reading them!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Twenty-Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A couple of warnings here: from now on, this story will have violence, threats of violence, and a lot of injuries and pain. The tag "canon-typical violence" pretty much covers my bases, since canon is brutal, but I just wanted to give you guys a little extra warning, just in case.<br/>If you guys want anything tagged that I haven't, just let me know and I'll add them.<br/>With that dreadful opening, hope you guys enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie screams himself hoarse. Between the screams, he can hear all of the Losers talking normally just outside, below his window. They can’t hear him, no matter how loud he gets. Pennywise won’t let them.</p>
<p>He listens to Georgie exclaim, “Neibolt!?” And his own voice says something in reply. Then he listens as they get on their bikes and take off.</p>
<p>He turns away from the window and curls up into a ball. He wants another do-over. He wants this time jump to have never happened in the first place. He hasn’t fixed anything, hasn’t made anything better. This is worse than him just dying in the original timeline.</p>
<p>Eddie lies there for minutes that feel like they drag on for hours. He just wants a deep, dark pit to lose himself in, but he can’t afford to be lost, not when everyone else is in danger.</p>
<p>He sits up and yanks on the chains once out of anger. Then he wraps them around the frame and begins carefully pulling one end, then the other, sawing back and forth against the wood.</p>
<p>This could take hours, Eddie knows. He’ll be too late to save them. He sniffles and blinks tears out of his eyes, but continues the sawing motion. There’s nothing else he can do.</p>
<p>He’s so focused on the motion that he jumps when the door opens behind him. He whips his head around so fast that something in his neck cracks.</p>
<p>Sonia stands in the doorway. “Eddie, sweetie, you should come down and have some breakfast.”</p>
<p>A wave of relief rushes through him briefly. He didn’t think she’d still be alive after all that.</p>
<p>He stays speechless for long enough that she steps forward and starts undoing his chain. A spark of hope shines in him, then it dampens when he sees that she’s not releasing him, she’s just gathering the chain to lead him downstairs like a dog.</p>
<p>She wraps the chain around her hands and Eddie wonders if he’s willing to kill her in order to escape. She’d be faster to deal with than the sawing motion, if he could get his hands on a weapon. But he can’t hurt her. He knows he can’t, not when this isn’t even her doing.</p>
<p>Eddie tries to get through to her, “Mom. Let me go.” He shakes his arm, making the chains rattle, “Let me go.”</p>
<p>She opens her mouth, then shuts it again. Her head tilts to the side and her expression goes slack. Then, she says, “Don’t be silly. I’ve already got your breakfast set up, there no need for you to go anywhere. You’re safest here, at home.”</p>
<p>She tugs him into a standing position and starts pulling him forward. He digs his heels in, struggling to the best of his ability, getting rug burn as she just keeps dragging him. “Mom! I can walk on my own. Take off the chains!”</p>
<p>She doesn’t reply. Once they reach the doorway, Eddie wedges his foot against the door jam and uses the leverage to pull away from her. It works for a moment, the chain in her hands slipping. He’s able to pull completely away but then she blocks the door.</p>
<p>He turns to go out the window, but she grabs the back of his shirt and yanks him towards her.</p>
<p>Her arms wrap around him and she picks him up, avoiding his broken arm. He kicks and struggles which gives her a hard time, but she still brings him downstairs. He’s too small to overpower her.</p>
<p>She sets him on one of the mismatched dining chairs and chains him to it. He tries to get up while she’s doing this, and she elbows him in the stomach.</p>
<p>He groans and hunches forward, the pain worse with the weird scar. While he stays hunched, she says, “Oh Eddie, I told you that you’d get hurt. It’s best to just listen to me.”</p>
<p>Satisfied, she stands and grabs a plate full of food to set in front of him. The entire plate has pills sticking out of it, not even crushed like before. He stares at it, mind racing for ways to get out, to get away. Every second he stays trapped here, puts the Losers in more and more danger.</p>
<p>She grabs a spoon, scoops some of the food onto it and brings it up to his mouth. He holds his mouth closed, letting the spoon clink against his lips. Sighing, she reaches up to pinch his nose shut.</p>
<p>Knowing that there’s no fighting that, he opens his mouth. She shoves the spoonful in and smiles.</p>
<p>The smile drops when he spits it all out. She gets a pinched expression, “Eddie–”</p>
<p>“My arm.” He breathes out, hoping that she’ll listen, “You never took me to the hospital. It’s broken, it could get infected.”</p>
<p>Her narrowed eyes go strange again, like before. A little bit lost. Then her face relaxes and becomes almost dreamy, “I’ll take care of it.”</p>
<p>She turns to walk over towards the medicine cabinet and Eddie says quickly, “We don’t have anything strong enough in there. Aspirin is only going to stop me from feeling the infection, I’ll still get sick from it.”</p>
<p>Sonia pauses, and Eddie thinks she might listen, then she goes over to the stove. She grabs a teakettle and fills it with water, then lights the burner, the <em>whoosh</em> of the flame dashing all of Eddie’s hopes. She sets the kettle on the flame, puts her arms down by her sides, and waits.</p>
<p>“Mommy? What are you doing?” The calm movements were more worrying than if she were acting like a raving lunatic. Eddie feels like the room is spinning for a second, he rubs his eyes on his knees to get it to stop.</p>
<p>Sonia sighs in exasperation, as if she shouldn’t have to explain something so obvious. “Eddie-bear, you know once water gets up to boiling temperature, the germs all burn away. I’m trying to make sure you don’t end up sick.”</p>
<p>The dread has already pooled in the bottom of his stomach by the time she explains, “So I’m going to pour the water on you to chase that nasty infection away.”</p>
<p>She stands there for a while more, ignoring him as he pleads for her to stop, to let him go, to just take him to the hospital.</p>
<p>He feels trapped and exposed and weak with fear and he just wants to go back to bed and wake up, except that this <em>isn’t</em> a nightmare. Everything is about to get way worse than it already has been.</p>
<p>He takes a shallow breath, then he starts to hyperventilate, unable to calm down. He begins to have a panic attack. She ignores him.</p>
<p>The blood pounds in his head, making it hard to hear if the kettle is whistling, which only makes him panic more. He strains his ears. There is nothing, yet. How long did it take water to boil?</p>
<p>He wants his inhaler, so that he’ll calm down, but that’s something he refuses to beg her for.</p>
<p>His watering eyes dart around, arm straining against the chair. There’s a knife block on the counter next to him, which can’t cut through chains, but it could...</p>
<p>He eyes wander back over to Sonia. He makes an effort to calm down, which is hard, but now that he’s forming a plan his brain focuses on other things.</p>
<p>He can’t take the time to think it over, he just hopes it’ll work. He closes his eyes and prays for everything to work out, because if anything goes wrong at this point, he won’t be able to make it out. He opens his eyes.</p>
<p>Leaning to the side, he begins to rock the chair. Back and forth, like the sawing motion upstairs, except with better results. The chair tips over after a few more rocks, and it makes a loud noise once it hits the counter. A wood panel breaks off the back of it, and the block of knives follow him down onto the floor.</p>
<p>One of the knifes hit his arm, cutting it, and another butcher knife stabs the floor next to him. He feels Sonia haul him back up before he can grab it.</p>
<p>She doesn’t seem to notice what he’s doing. Or, planning on doing. Maybe she doesn’t care. Or maybe there’s some part of her that knows what she’s doing is wrong, so she’s allowing him to try to escape. She sets the chair back up and turns away once more.</p>
<p>A knife sits just below his chair. The arm of the chair is wobbly from the fall, so he can almost reach it, if the cuff would only slacken a little bit more.</p>
<p>Blood from the cut earlier trails down his wrist, and he feels the wetness of it drip into his cuff, pooling just below the metal.</p>
<p>His hand slides down a bit more, the cuff climbing higher on his forearm. He can feel the knife with the very tip of his fingers now.</p>
<p>He watches Sonia’s back and waits for more blood to trail down his arm. He has to save the others, and maybe if he keeps telling himself that, he won’t hesitate with what he has to do to get away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Georgie finds himself having trouble keeping up with all of the Losers after they get off of their bikes, their confident strides too much for his short legs as they make their way up to the old well house.</p>
<p>He doesn’t say this, just like he doesn’t ask why they’re going into the Neibolt house once again.</p>
<p>He doesn’t want to voice his confusion. The answer might be obvious, and they’d treat him like a baby if they had to explain it. He hates when they dismiss him just for being younger, like when he saw the clown or when “Bill” tried to drown him. At least Eddie had been on his side both times.</p>
<p>They come to a stop outside the place, pausing to gather themselves, which makes Georgie nervous. The anticipation always made it scarier when they eventually made their way in. He wonders if he’ll be asked to stay outside again, and some part of him feels left out at that. The other part of him is relieved, to not have to step into the old house and maybe face the clown again.</p>
<p>He steps away from Bill, not wanting him to sense his feelings. Georgie shuffles closer to Eddie, who seems like the leader of this situation. He wouldn’t mock him if Georgie voiced his fears, at least.</p>
<p>Georgie is about to confess his fear of maybe seeing the clown again, when Eddie turns his head to look at him. His gaze is burning, not like he’s angry, but something else. Georgie changes what he’s going to say, “Why are we going in here? I thought you said that it’s empty.” He keeps the ‘we’ in his sentence, hoping to be corrected when Eddie sensed his unease.</p>
<p>But if Eddie senses it, he doesn’t comment on it. He just meets his eyes in a sort of silent challenge and Georgie is reminded of his neighbor’s dog, who would stare with his ears pointed up, waiting to take a bite if you got too close. Georgie watches him with trepidation, unsure of what he’s said wrong.</p>
<p>Finally, Eddie blinks and looks away, “I forgot to look at something. I’m pretty sure this will be the key to defeating Pennywise.” Then he walks forward, a couple feet away from Georgie. As if he’s running away, unable to answer further.</p>
<p>Georgie stares at the back of Eddie’s head, wondering.</p>
<p>“W-what’s wrong, G-Georgie?” Bill stands next to him once more.</p>
<p>He looks at his brother’s concerned face and shakes his head, “Nothing.” He knows if he shows any sign of fear that Bill will send him home. Despite the dread of entering the house, he now finds himself in defiance, almost. If they weren’t going to enter with a clear goal, Georgie would go in with Bill and protect him from any monster, since Eddie seemed too preoccupied to worry about that. His gaze swings back to Eddie and hums a little, “Just thinking.”</p>
<p>Richie looks back at him with a glare, falling back a step and blocking Eddie from view. He had been doing that a lot recently, the glaring. Georgie doesn’t know what he’s done, but he figures it’s just jealousy. Older people are weird like that.</p>
<p>Eddie himself had been a little strange lately. Ever since they all got back together, he’d seemed extra jumpy. Paranoid, looking around like something is about to get him. Georgie had felt the same way when the mimic had copied his brother, like he couldn’t trust anyone.</p>
<p>Georgie was going to ask if something had happened, but he never got the chance to. Now, it seems like Eddie has gotten over whatever it was. He has yet to even throw a glance over his shoulder.</p>
<p>A car pulling up behind them has everyone turning around to look, Richie stepping down a step so that Eddie is revealed once more. Georgie is so lost in thought that his eyes don’t stray from Eddie who turns around to look as well.</p>
<p>So, no one else is paying attention when Eddie’s mouth quirks into a small grin. His eyes light up almost manically, and Georgie swears that they do actually lighten in color for a moment. Then glee seems to spread through Eddie’s whole body as he brings his clenched fist up in anticipation.</p>
<p>Bev gasps, and Georgie finally turns to look. He’s confused, at first, wondering why Eddie would smile when someone like Henry Bowers is making his way up to them.</p>
<p>There’s something like a black stick in his hand. It’s not until Henry is close to them that he raises it and Georgie can see the bent end of it. It’s a crowbar.</p>
<p>A yelp cut his thoughts short. Everyone starts scrambling backwards as Henry starts swinging at them.</p>
<p>Billy isn’t normally the type to run. He’s brave and he protects others. That’s what he ends up doing now: protecting Georgie. He gets behind Georgie and huddles him towards the house.</p>
<p>Georgie doesn’t see what happens, his vision is blocked by Bill’s arm as he tries to crane his neck back. But he hears a loud <em>crack</em>, loud enough to make him cringe. When Bill’s arm moves to pick him up by the waist, Georgie sees Stan lying on the ground, unmoving.</p>
<p>They all run into the house; Georgie being carried, confused since things were happening so fast. Then, they all scatter, heading in different directions. Georgie wants to tell them that they shouldn’t separate, since everyone who separates in movies end up in bad situations, but he can’t get a word out.</p>
<p>Bill takes Georgie into one of the rooms, letting Eddie in before kicking it shut behind them.</p>
<p>Bill sets Georgie on his feet, then calls out for Eddie to help him block the door. But there isn’t much to block it with, so Bill just leans against it, hoping that’s enough. There’s no other way out, the windows across from them all boarded up. They’ve trapped themselves in.</p>
<p>Georgie looks at his brother, leaning against the door and panting. Then he swings his gaze over to study Eddie.</p>
<p>He had smiled when Henry had showed up. Georgie is certain of that, just like he’s certain that he’s seen that smile before. On Bill’s mouth, before he pushed him under the water, and even before that, on the clown that wouldn’t give him his boat back.</p>
<p>Georgie remembers Eddie’s desperate face, trying to explain the danger to them, “<em>It can do things like mimic others; I’ve seen it happen.</em>”</p>
<p>A piece of wood, sharp at one end, sits on the floor. It reminds Georgie of a stake, like the ones that can kill vampires, except it’s less smooth and more splintery.</p>
<p>Georgie sneaks a look at Eddie, who stands staring off into space. He crouches down slowly and picks the stake up.</p>
<p>When he does, Eddie meets his gaze, a gleam of yellow staring at him. Georgie’s hand tightens on the wood.</p>
<p>A stake to the heart can kill vampires, but Georgie is willing to bet that it can kill other monsters, too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Elsewhere, the real Eddie is finally able to wrap his hand around the handle of the knife.</p>
<p>The water has begun to make that hot, airy sound. Not quite a whistle, but close.</p>
<p>It will be finished soon.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A Georgie POV!!?? I wrote this to bring him back to life, of course I'd make him a key element to the story.<br/>The scene with Eddie and Sonia had been in my drafts from the very beginning. The parallel between what Sonia thinks is best for Eddie and how much of what she does actually hurts him. Eddie begging to be free but her unable to let him go. Like x100. Wonderfully terrible.<br/>Let me know your thought in the comments! Always love reading them.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Twenty-Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kind of later than I had anticipated, but here's the next chapter!<br/>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie fumbles with his shoes for a second, the blood making the heel slip out of his hand before he can shove his foot in. He curses softly, hand shaking.</p>
<p>He holds the phone against his ear with his shoulder, waits for the customary questions, then says, “There’s been an accident.”</p>
<p>He watches the blood drops appear just below him as he’s finally able to slip his shoe on. The cut on his arm hasn’t stopped bleeding, it seems. He continues speaking in monotone, “My mom fell while she was cooking, there’s a lot of blood. She’s not–” Eddie feels his breath catch, “She’s not moving.”</p>
<p>He does not look over to confirm this, fighting his body from going into shock.</p>
<p>He busies himself by wrapping his arm once again, hiding the swelling and redness from view. There is no time to go to the hospital now.</p>
<p>The cuff clinks as he pulls the wrap tight. He doesn’t have time to search for a key, either. At least it only hangs off his one wrist, the other end no longer attached to the chair.</p>
<p>He answers more questions, lies for a few, all while staring at the old, peeling wallpaper in front of him. Then the operator asks, “How old are you, sweetie?”</p>
<p>This brings him back to himself, just a bit. He thinks of the answer he could give her.</p>
<p>He’s forty. He was, anyway. Or maybe he will be. Time didn’t work right, with him.</p>
<p>
  <em>Everything is unraveling now.</em>
</p>
<p>His hand comes up to rub his face and the Loser’s scar gleams in the light. This isn’t where he’s supposed to be.</p>
<p>“I’m thirteen. Listen, is there someone coming to help my mom?”</p>
<p>“There’s an ambulance on its way. I just need you to stay on the line while–”</p>
<p>Eddie sets the phone on the counter. His eyes skip past the blood pooling on the ground and he stares off into the distance as he gets to his feet.</p>
<p>He stops and takes a shaky breath, “Goodbye, mommy.”</p>
<p>Then he runs. Runs out the door, stumbles, runs down the steps, stumbles again, then he catches his stride and takes off.</p>
<p>The sky above him is overcast, so dark that Eddie thinks that it’s night already, until he remembers that it wasn’t even noon when he was dragged out of his room.</p>
<p>Eddie wonders if it will rain. Wonders if it rained on this day in the other timeline, or if the change came from Pennywise.</p>
<p>Eddie rounds the corner, remembering the time he had to tackle Georgie to keep him away from It, when all of this first began. How afraid he was of being too late.</p>
<p>A similar fear encases him when he sees someone lying on the ground in front of the well house.</p>
<p>He sprints up to him then stumbles to a stop, hunching over the other boy, sweating and sick because his whole world is falling apart. He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, hard, then shakes his head.</p>
<p>The scar on his center burns, now. No more throbbing, just a constant pain.</p>
<p>Opening his eyes, he grabs Stan’s shoulder and rolls him onto his back. His head is bleeding a lot, split open near his hairline, but his chest moves up and down. He’s breathing and alive, that’s all that matters. Eddie doesn’t have time to worry about anything else. They’ve been separated, which is the worst-case scenario. It’s easier for Pennywise to hunt them singly.</p>
<p>“I’ll be back, I’ll get you help. Just wait a little.” Eddie pats his prone form once, then gets to his feet and makes his way up to the door. He has to make sure <em>everyone</em> is still breathing.</p>
<p>The door is ajar, not a lot of noise coming from within. Eddie nudges it open slowly, holding his breath.</p>
<p>He peeks in and sees Bowers standing in the middle of the room, staring at something on the floor.</p>
<p>That something is Mike. He’s lying on his stomach, and he’s bleeding. Blood is oozing from a slick dent near his temple, dripping across his face, beginning to pool on the ground beside him.</p>
<p>Eddie inches forward slowly, hoping he can catch Henry unaware.</p>
<p>Mike sees him. He opens his mouth, trying to say something, but the only thing Eddie can hear is the blood rushing through his ears. Mike’s mouth moves, blood spraying his teeth.</p>
<p>“I should hit him again,” Bowers mutters to himself, “Look, he’s trying to move.”</p>
<p>Eddie’s eyes trail over Mike, as if it were him Henry was speaking to. Then Eddie’s eyes go back to Henry, watching as he stretches his arm out. He has a crowbar in one hand, swinging it idly back and forth.</p>
<p>Mike’s fingers stretch out for Eddie before going limp. Mike isn’t moving anymore and the crowbar has blood dripping from it and Eddie is starting to shake with a silent rage and–</p>
<p>Bowers finally sees him. He takes one look at him and raises the crowbar in the air, “I knew there’d be more than this. These assholes all run in hoards.”</p>
<p>He swings the weapon and Eddie ducks.</p>
<p>The metal bounces of his arm and he stumbles backwards. He doesn’t fall, but Bowers is swinging again, crowbar making a swishing noise through the air.</p>
<p>Eddie throws his own arm out in defense, the end of the chain getting caught against the crowbar and wrapping around it. Eddie jerks his arm back and the weapon slips out of Henry’s hands, clattering loudly against the floor.</p>
<p>Momentarily elated that that worked, Eddie doesn’t see the punch until it’s landing against his stomach.</p>
<p>He cries out, pain worse against the scar on his center. His knees buckle and he automatically hunches forward, trying to protect himself.</p>
<p>Henry pulls back, grabbing the crowbar off the floor.</p>
<p>Eddie’s arm comes up to block his head, but the pain never comes. A second later, Eddie hears Bowers mutter angrily, “It’s not like this would kill him.” Then he watches his feet walk away, back towards Mike.</p>
<p>Eddie uncurls himself as Bowers whistles, low and long.</p>
<p>He takes the tip of his foot and slides it under Mike’s body. One kick, and Mike is flipped onto his back.</p>
<p>Eddie struggles, attempting to get to his feet once more, but stops when Henry hold the end of the crowbar over Mike’s throat.</p>
<p>“You’ll want to see this,” Bowers licks his teeth in a grin, “I’m going to hurt him, slowly this time.”</p>
<p>Bowers eyes slide over to him, “You do anything, and I’ll kill him instead of hurt him. Just enjoy the show.”</p>
<p>Bowers crouches over Mike’s stone-still body. He hovers the crowbar over him, lining it up with his throat, then over his chest, “I wonder how many times I can hit him before his ribs break.” He smiles wider, as if he likes thinking about that.</p>
<p>Eddie hears a noise from behind him, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Bowers.</p>
<p>He hopes it’s not Stan. He doesn’t know how hard he was hit, maybe enough to knock him out for a while, or maybe just enough to stun him, in which case Bowers would easily be able to overtake him again. Eddie hopes he stays unconscious, he’s safer that way.</p>
<p>Bowers tilts his head and looks at the door, “Well, well, well.”</p>
<p>Footsteps make their way towards them, then Eddie can finally see who it is.</p>
<p>Bev steps into the light, pale and sweaty, her hair windblown a bit. She looks frustrated and violent, her hands clenching into fists.</p>
<p>Henry chuckles a little, “You came to join the fun? Or are you more of the watching type?” He stands, and Bev takes a step away.</p>
<p>Bower’s grin is all teeth, “Change your mind?”</p>
<p>She steps away once more, but also to the side, leading him away from Eddie. Henry’s follows her with his eyes, unblinking and focused, like a cat about to pounce.</p>
<p>He doesn’t take another step towards her, so Bev’s voice spills out, “You’re a goddamn coward, Bowers. He’s already passed out, why don’t you leave him alone?”</p>
<p>“I haven’t finished with him yet. Did you want to cut in line? I can have some fun with you first.” Bowers laughs again, taking a step closer, finally not hovering over Mike anymore.</p>
<p>Bev says nothing. She catches Eddie’s eye over his shoulder. She is still angry. Very angry. Unsettlingly so. She looks as if she wants to beat Henry Bowers with her bare hands.</p>
<p>Her eyes stray over to the left of him and Eddie follows her gaze. There, over by the wall, is the mirror. It’s shattered, probably from the struggle with Mike. The shards were all over the floor, some as big as knives.</p>
<p>He looks back to Bev and nods slightly.</p>
<p>She sets her jaw and swings her gaze back to Henry, “You think you’re gonna get away with this? Your dad might be the sheriff, but even he won’t overlook this much.”</p>
<p>Bower’s grin drops slightly at her words, his face screwing up in anger, “You think I give a shit what the old man thinks? He won’t be thinking anymore after what I’ve done.”</p>
<p>While he speaks, Eddie crouches and half-crawls over to the glass, picking up the biggest one he can find. He clenches it in his hand, feeling the sharp edges bite into his skin. He’ll only have one shot at this.</p>
<p>Standing silently, he inches up behind Bowers. Bev keeps talking, trying to keep his focus on her. Bowers talks with his arms, throwing them out as he gets angrier, which makes Eddie hesitant, afraid he’s going to be seen.</p>
<p>Once Eddie is in range, he brings the shard up and Henry whirls on him.</p>
<p>Then a door flings open behind him and Ben rushes up, grabbing Henry before he could make a move. Eddie hadn’t noticed him there, and neither had Henry, but while Bowers is struggling Eddie doesn’t miss his chance.</p>
<p>Bowers knocks Ben off of him, the crowbar clattering across the floor. He continues laughing and mocking them. His words are cut off when Eddie stabs him.</p>
<p>It’s as if time slows for a bit, and Eddie has a feeling like deja vu. He’s done this before, stabbing Bowers in the exact same spot in the future. Except this time Eddie doesn’t plan on letting him get away.</p>
<p>Blood flows from the wound, becoming a stain on his shirt. Bowers looks down at it and laughs.</p>
<p>Eddie twists the piece of glass and the laugh turns into a scream.</p>
<p>The screaming stops with the sound of a sick <em>thud</em>. Henry collapses, Bev standing behind him with the crowbar, having hit him on the back of the head.</p>
<p>She looks righteous, hair lit up by the light peeking through the roof. Clouds soon settle overhead and with the darkening room, her shoulders begin to slump. Bev shivers. It wasn’t cold out by any means, still the middle of summer, but she shivers.</p>
<p>Ben walks up, rubbing her arms, trying to comfort her. He turns her away, murmuring, “It’s okay.”</p>
<p>Eddie grateful for Ben being the sturdy one, because he doesn’t think he has it in him to comfort anyone. Not when he’s already this out of it.</p>
<p>He leans down, pulling the glass shard out of Henry. He drops it, shattering it against the floor. He doesn’t need it as a weapon, he just wants Henry to bleed out faster.</p>
<p>He’s going to need so much therapy after this is all over.</p>
<p>Eddie walks over to Ben and Bev, who are now kneeling next to Mike. Bev shakes his shoulder lightly and gets a groan in response. He’s alive, at least.</p>
<p>Eddie catches Ben’s eye, “Where’s everyone else?”</p>
<p>Ben’s eyebrows furrow, “Richie went to go find you. I thought you were with Bill and Georgie.”</p>
<p>Eddie can feel himself grow pale, “Where are they?”</p>
<p>Bev looks up at the strain in his voice. Ben answers, “They went down the hall on the left, into one of the rooms. I’m not sure which one, exactly, we were all running around, I didn’t get a good look.”</p>
<p>Eddie scoops up the crowbar, talking fast, “Get Mike out of here, put him with Stan. I’m going to go find the others. Try to stick together, you’re more vulnerable apart.”</p>
<p>“Eddie, wait.” Bev reaches up to snag his arm, but thinks better of it when she sees it in a sling, “What’s wrong? Is it Pennywise?”</p>
<p>“Yes, the person who lead you here wasn’t me. It’s mimicking my body.” Their eyes go wide with shock and Eddie keeps speaking before they can ask questions. “Stick together, I’ll meet you back here if this all works out.”</p>
<p>He turns and makes his way down the hall where Ben had pointed, ignoring Bev’s hiss of “Wait!” He can’t wait. There’s no time. He might already be too late.</p>
<p>He pushes open the first door he comes across, looking around the room quickly. He’s not worried about being quiet or sneaky anymore, he only has to be quick. The room is empty, he moves into the next one, but before he opens it, he hears a muffled voice from down the hall.</p>
<p>Eddie makes his way over to the door that is slightly ajar, the voice becoming clearer.</p>
<p>“Let him go,” Bill’s words drift over to Eddie and he sounds tired and pleading and sad, like the fight has been taken out of him.</p>
<p>Wasting no more time, Eddie throws the door open.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not gonna lie, I really enjoy writing the next chapter so far. But, then again, I like characters suffering, so maybe this is just my sadistic side showing.<br/>ALSO, a couple of you commented asking if Eddie was going to cut off his arm to escape Sonia and I WOULD be the type to write that, but then Eddie would have two bad arms and he wouldn't be able to do much, so no!<br/>Let me know what you guys think in the comments!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Twenty-Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is slightly shorter than usual, sorry! But I really wanted to post it before I second-guessed myself and deleted the whole thing.<br/>Hope you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Eddie sees when he opens the door is Bill’s back, tense from unease. The second things he sees as his eyes drop lower is the pool of blood just in front of him.</p>
<p>Eddie steps forward with dread, taking in more of the room. He freezes, shock hitting his body all at once.</p>
<p>Richie stands at the other end of the room, clutching Georgie in front of him. It takes Eddie a second to see the knife held in his hand, glimmering in the light against Georgie’s neck. The younger boy has a look of desperation, leaning as far back as he can in order to keep the weapon away from his skin.</p>
<p>The blood on the floor is trailing from a body lying two feet away from them. Eddie’s body. A piece of wood sticks out of the center.</p>
<p>Eddie stares at it, unnerved. The mimic isn’t moving. Is It playing dead?</p>
<p>His eyes move back over to Richie and Georgie, unable to put the pieces together. Is Richie being controlled like his mother was?</p>
<p>Richie doesn’t look up from the body, not even acknowledging Georgie in his grip. Tears stream down his face intermittently while his hand shakes, the knife tapping against Georgie’s neck.</p>
<p>Georgie is pale, his hands clutching Richie’s arm, trying to stop him from bringing the sharp end closer. He catches Eddie’s eyes and they light up with hope, he opens his mouth and starts to say, “Ed–”</p>
<p>Richie’s arm tenses and fear makes Georgie’s mouth snap shut, words cut off.</p>
<p>Eddie steps forward and Bill sees him out of the corner of his eye. He double takes, face tense and eyes growing wide. They dart from Eddie to the body a few feet away. Some understanding, then relief slips through his expression. He turns back to look at Georgie.</p>
<p>“Richie, d-d-drop the knife. Drop the knife.”</p>
<p>“Can’t,” he says, strained, eyes never leaving the body. “This asshole killed Eddie; I have to make sure It doesn’t get away.”</p>
<p>“N-no.” A bit of desperation slips through his voice, “Eddie is r-r-r–”</p>
<p>“I’m right here.” He steps forward again, but Richie’s arm tenses further and Eddie stops moving.</p>
<p>Richie’s gaze lifts, his eyes unfocused, unseeing. They don’t even pause on Eddie, just shoot straight to Bill, wary.</p>
<p>His words grow thick with emotion, “He knew there was a mimic. And no one listened to him. He <em>knew</em>.”</p>
<p>Eddie breathes out a small, “Richie?”</p>
<p>Richie continues, “So I have to make sure this won’t happen to anyone else. I have to kill–!” Georgie squirms for a second and Richie’s arm tightens to keep him still.</p>
<p>Bill tries again, “Hey, n-no you don’t. It’s a trick. Eddie’s right here. Put your arm d-d-down.”</p>
<p>Richie shakes his head. He looks over to the body, voice cracking, “I’m sorry, Eddie.”</p>
<p>“Richie?” Eddie waves his arm, trying to get his attention.</p>
<p>Richie ignores him. There’s no indication that he can even hear him.</p>
<p>So, Eddie steps forward once more, but the knife presses against Georgie’s throat and he stops.</p>
<p>Eddie looks over at the body. Pennywise must be creating an illusion. Richie can’t see the real him, but he’s still reacting to his motions.</p>
<p>“Richie,” Eddie says again, desperate now, his head swinging back around to look at him. He says it over and over, hand gripping his fanny pack, squeezing so hard that his fingers go white. “<em>Richie, Richie, Richie.</em>”</p>
<p>Eddie hears Bill’s breathing pick up, finally understanding the depth of what’s happening. “Richie, Eddie is right h-h-here. Georgie didn’t h-h-hurt a-anyone. Let him g-go.” Slight frustration leaks through his words as he tries to talk faster than his stuttering would allow.</p>
<p>A hint of confusion cracks through Richie’s anguished expression. He looks around the room once more, eyes passing Eddie over. He shakes his head again, then both of his arms tense.</p>
<p>The knife cuts into Georgie’s neck a little bit, the silver gaining a red smudge. Bill sees it and an anguished cry slips out of his mouth. Tears well up in Georgie’s eyes, face scared at the sight of his brother freaking out.</p>
<p>Eddie wants to shout some more at Richie. Wants to drop to his knees and beg It to stop the illusion, but he knows that won’t work. He screams anyway, “Richie, stop it. <em>Let him go!</em>”</p>
<p>“Richie, please,” Georgie says. He’s starting to cry, the tears flying off his lips in drops as he speaks. His hands pull against Richie’s arm, but it doesn’t budge. “It was a monster. I had to kill It.”</p>
<p>Bill turns his gaze away from the blood that is beginning to drip down his brother’s neck. He looks at Eddie and his eyes hold a deep hurt, full of horror and rage, then they drop down to the body of the mimic.</p>
<p>It’s not dead. It’s still messing with them.</p>
<p>A determined expression settles on Bill’s face. He turns back to Richie. “We h-have to s-s-save Eddie. Richie, we h-have to help h-him.”</p>
<p>“Eddie?” Richie sways a little, “He’s gone. He’s not breathing. He’s…” Richie grits his teeth, stifling another sob. His hand tightens on the knife and it starts to shake some more.</p>
<p>“We don’t have t-time. R-richie! He’s d-d-dying!”</p>
<p>Richie doesn’t move. He swings his gaze over to the body and calls out, “Eddie?” Then, softer, “Eddie?”</p>
<p>The way Richie says his name makes Eddie’s heart hurt. He nods to Bill, “Tell him I don’t have enough energy to move. Rush him, before It does something else.”</p>
<p>Bill repeats his words and a small amount of clarity shines through Richie’s eyes. The body starts to shift but Richie is no longer looking at it.</p>
<p>“Have to save…” Richie’s arm waivers, then starts to lower. Then he starts to scream. He screams and screams.</p>
<p>The knife comes back up, but Eddie has already darted forward, catching his wrist. The tip of the knife skims his cheek, but the momentum of the swing has it flying through the air a moment later. It clatters into the pool of blood, sliding further away.</p>
<p>Bill pulls Georgie away from them both quickly. Richie flails, but isn’t struggling nearly as much as he could. His eyes are wide, darting around, like he can’t see what has hold of him.</p>
<p>One particular hard movement has Eddie wincing, his hurt arm jostled against his side.</p>
<p>His hand slips from his wrist, but he grasps Richie’s hand quickly before he could let go all the way. Eddie looks up and Richie finally meets his gaze.</p>
<p>It feels as if someone punches him in the stomach, but Richie’s hand tightens on his before he can hunch over from the pain. Small black spots appear in his vision, but they keep their gazes locked and their palms pressed together. A warmth begins where their hands meet and Richie softly says, “Eddie.” Tears well up in his eyes then they roll up and he drops.</p>
<p>Eddie goes to shout but Georgie’s voice overtakes him, “The monster is getting up!”</p>
<p>Eddie turns so fast that he almost falls over with dizziness.</p>
<p>The fake Eddie stands in the blood puddle, reaching down and pulling the stake out of his center. Its teeth are gritted in anger, staring at the fallen Richie. Then It looks at him.</p>
<p>Eddie starts to see dark spots again. He closes his eyes and shakes his head.</p>
<p>In that moment, the mimic runs forward. Bill stumbles back, pulling Georgie with him, but It just skirts past them and goes out the door.</p>
<p>Eddie sprints after It, legs wobbling for a second and almost causing him to fall. But he stays upright, running into the room at the entrance.</p>
<p>Ben and Bev stand there, their expressions shocked. They both look over to the hall on the right and Eddie runs that way without stopping, leaping over Bower’s body and into the next room.</p>
<p>He enters the room with the fallen well and skids to a stop. The fake Eddie looks back, one foot over the hole like he’s about to step down there.</p>
<p>Eddie tries to grab the mimic before it can leave, but then it darts out of the way. Eddie’s arm pinwheels for a moment, afraid of falling. His feet settle back down, and he turns to face the monster with his face.</p>
<p>He’s given a sneer and Eddie watches as the hole in his shirt is repaired, along with the blood fading. A chain appears on the other’s wrist suddenly, clinking as it swings in the air.</p>
<p>A whole round of footsteps has him turning to face the door.</p>
<p>Bev is the first one to stop in the room with a call of, “Eddie!”</p>
<p>She looks at him, then her eyes stray over to It. Ben, Bill, and Georgie all arrive behind her. Their gaze also darts between the two.</p>
<p>Bill looks down at Georgie, “Who’s the monster?”</p>
<p>Georgie looks unsurely between the two and Eddie’s mouth automatically says, “You’re fucking kidding me.”</p>
<p>Ben bites his lip, “Say something only Eddie would know.”</p>
<p>“That won’t work,” It says. “It can sense what you’ll want to hear.”</p>
<p>That sounds right to Eddie, but the urge to argue with anything It says is unbeatable. “We met in the library, Ben. I asked for help finding research about the curse on Derry.”</p>
<p>It doesn’t even pause to let them think. “Ben threw a can of soup at Henry Bowers to save me and Mike.”</p>
<p>Bill and Georgie look at Ben to confirm that both were true. Ben nods resolutely.</p>
<p>The fake snaps his fingers and a small grin appears in its face, “I know. I don’t think It can heal that fast. Georgie stabbed It with a piece of wood, maybe the scar is still there.” As It says this, it lifts the shirt and shows off its blank center.</p>
<p>Eddie stares at the mimic, not moving. He never showed anyone his scar. They’ll think he’s lying.</p>
<p>A surge of anger overtakes him. It can’t win, can’t hurt the Losers. If Eddie is taken out of the picture, they might not be able to defend themselves quick enough against a monster who knows better. It already took down three of his friends.</p>
<p>And Eddie, he’s just human. He doesn’t have the strength to fight against Pennywise, or the smarts to convince everyone that he’s speaking the truth.</p>
<p>And that’s precisely why he takes a step towards It and winds his arm around its chest in a mockery of a hug. Eddie looks at the scared faces of the Losers and leans backwards quickly. Pulling them both over the edge before It gets the chance to do anything else.</p>
<p>“<em>Eddie!</em>”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I always have characters fall a lot when I write... I wonder if this is a subconscious thing.<br/>Let me know what you guys think in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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